Dallas Anesthesiologist Indicted for Health Care Fraud
Dr. Richard Toussaint, a high profile Dallas anesthesiologist, has been indicted for health care fraud by a federal grand jury.
Toussaint is a founder of Forest Park Medical Centers, a chain of for-profit hospitals. He is also a movie producer and philanthropist.
Toussaint led medical missions to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, and to Honduras in 2013 and 2014. He was chairman of Dallas-based Lascaux Films.
He is charged with billing for medical procedures he did not perform over an 18-month period in 2009 and 2010. Included in the indictment are charges that Toussaint billed patients for anesthesiology when he himself was in surgery on one occasion.
He is also charged with fraudulent billing for services he performed on patients when he was in his private jet, when he was in another state, and when he was in another hospital.
Toussaint’s attorney, Richard Roper, said he is “disappointed the government moved to formal charges in the case.” He said his client has 32 years of medical practice without incident or malpractice, and that he will plead not guilty.
Each of the 17 counts of health care fraud carries a potential penalty of 10 years in prison.
Dr. Toussant, founder of Forest Park Medical Centers, is charged with billing for medical procedures he did not perform over an 18-month period in 2009 and 2010. Byron Harris investigates.