Nathan Lucas, the Memphis podiatrist convicted of healthcare fraud involving foot baths, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
The 59-year-old owned a podiatry clinic, Advanced Foot & Ankle Care of Memphis, which had two in-house pharmacies. He was convicted of five counts of healthcare fraud in March, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee. Officials said he had patients soak their feet in tubs of water that contained antibiotic and antifungal drugs that he prescribed.
“These drug cocktails included capsules, creams, and powders that were not indicated to be dissolved in water and some of which were not even water soluble,” officials said.
They added that Lucas did this for the “anticipated reimbursement amount,” as opposed to “medical necessity.” As a result, Lucas’ pharmacies submitted nearly $4 million in claims to Medicare and TennCare from October 2018 through September 2021, and they were reimbursed more than $3 million.
In March it was reported that Lucas faced a maximum penalty for 10 years in prison for each of the five counts he was convicted on.