David Santana, the owner of Conclave Media and Nationwide Health Advocates, has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty in connection with a $44 million telemedicine fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), including orthotics such as back and knee braces, and genetic tests. According to the charging documents, Santana entered into business relationships with telemarketing companies that generated leads by targeting Medicare beneficiaries. The telemarketers then allegedly paid Conclave and Nationwide on a per-order basis to generate orders for DME and genetic testing for these beneficiaries. To arrange for these orders to be signed, Santana allegedly worked with medical staffing companies to find doctors and nurses who were willing to review and sign prepopulated orders, typically without any contact with the beneficiaries. Read a story from mHealthIntelligence and a Department of Justice press release.