By Nina Youngstrom

◆ An Ohio podiatrist is heading to prison for almost three years for fraudulently billing Medicare and Medicaid nearly $1.2 million in connection with services he provided through a practice after being excluded, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio said July 30. Robert J. Rosenstein, who was president of Affiliated Podiatrists, Inc., in Mentor, was convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in 2013 and excluded from Medicare. A year later, he closed Affiliated Podiatrists, but “caused articles of incorporation to be filed with the Ohio Secretary of State for Community Foot and Ankle of Mentor (CFAM), located at the same address. Rosenstein controlled daily operation of CFAM and was the de facto owner of the practice. A month later, Rosenstein caused CFAM to file an enrollment application with Medicare. The application was signed by someone else, not Rosenstein, and did not list Rosenstein as having ownership or a controlling interest in the company,” the U.S. attorney’s office said. Rosenstein then performed services at CFAM and billed under another provider’s name. Rosenstein pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud. Visit http://bit.ly/336DbjQ.