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TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Thirty-five Oklahoma physicians each received more than $1 million each in 2012 for treating Medicare patients, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The list includes oncologists, ophthalmologists and other specialists at Edmond, Enid, Midwest City, Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
Dr. Saadia Chohan of Oklahoma City, second on the list at $3.4 million in reimbursements, told the Tulsa World (http://bit.ly/1oQJktG ) that most physicians are not taking in millions of dollars because some of their patients are receiving expensive patented drugs, such as a new prostate cancer vaccine that costs nearly $100,000 per patient.
"Most of these drugs are pass-through for us in Medicare. We make, if anything, our cost. Medicare reimburses us 80 percent of the cost of the drug," Chohan said.
Topping the list with $4.3 million in reimbursements is rheumatologist Dr. Craig Carson of Edmond. Other top recipients were Dr. Sumit Nanda of Oklahoma City at $2.9 million; Dr. Francisco Dexeus in Enid at $2.9 million; Dr. Craig Abbott of Oklahoma City with $2.4 million; Dr. Ali Moussa in Tulsa with $2.3 million; Dr. Scott A. McHam in Tulsa with $2.1 million; Dr. Christopher Bozarth of Midwest City with $1.9 million; Dr. Aleda Toma in Oklahoma City with $1.8 million; and Dr. Sandeep Shah in Edmond with $1.8 million.
An Associated Press analysis of DHHS data showed 344 doctors nationally each received $3 million or more. The data included information on more than 880,000 health care providers who received a combined $77 billion in payments in 2012 as part of the Medicare Part B program.
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Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com
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