CLEVELAND, OHIO – A former University of Michigan doctor who overdosed on drugs stolen from patients almost a decade ago in Ann Arbor is now facing federal charges in Ohio for medical fraud, according to a report by cleveland.com.
Timothy Sutton was indicted, Sept. 15, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio in Cleveland. He is accused of health care fraud and making false statements relating to health care matters, federal court records show.
Sutton, 41, was licensed in Illinois and Michigan before he became licensed in Ohio in January 2019.
In December 2013, Sutton overdosed on fentanyl inside a bathroom at a University of Michigan Health System’s Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor after stealing the drugs from the hospital, according to previous MLive/The Ann Arbor News reporting.
Sutton, a resident in anesthesiology, later admitted to investigators that he injected himself with drugs meant for patients more than once in the week leading up to his overdose, police said.
He was later charged with felony larceny from a building and misdemeanor use of a controlled substance, the latter of which he pleaded guilty to before having the record sealed and likely expunged.
He was not disciplined by Michigan’s medical board after he had overdosed, according to state records.
Related: U-M doctor who overdosed on stolen drugs has court record wiped clean
Federal prosecutors in Cleveland are now accusing Sutton of committing medical fraud from Jan. 26, 2018, through Oct. 21, 2020, while working for two telemedicine companies.
The indictment did not identify the companies he worked for.
Prosecutors claim Sutton ordered cancer genetic testing and durable medical equipment braces while working for the telehealth companies without the required sign off from a doctor before they were processed, records show.
Cancer genetic testing is only covered by Medicare for patients who already were diagnosed with having cancer as they are used to help determine the best treatment options, prosecutors said.
The cost of the tests varies from a few hundred dollars to more than $6,000, according to the indictment.
Sutton also ordered unnecessary braces — typically for backs, knees and wrists, according to the indictment. In seven instances included in the indictment, it appeared Sutton used similar or the exact same language in diagnosing patients.
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