Texas psychiatrist Rafael Solis sentenced for involvement in Medicaid fraud

November 12, 2010

On or about October 6, 2010, Texas psychiatrist Rafael Solis was sentenced in U.S. District Court to five years probation. 

Solis was convicted earlier this year on three counts of providing false statements relating to a health care matter.  The convictions stem from Solis’ involvement in the operations of Synergy Counseling, a business which was supposed to provide group psychotherapy treatment to elderly patients. However, the federal government presented a case that such therapy never occurred and that was billed as mental health services was no more than adult day care. 

The government’s case against Solis and two con-conspirators showed that they billed more than 49,000 claims to Medicaid and Medicare for services not rendered between January 2002 and September 2005, collecting more than $1.4 million.

While the proceeds were split mostly between the two co-conspirators, Solis was charged and convicted for lying on applications for federal healthcare billing privileges by answering “no” to the question about being under investigation, despite an ongoing investigation of Synergy.

Source: Jennifer Killin, “Dr. Solis sentenced,” Del Rio News-Herald, 8 October 2010.