WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have charged a Texas physician with healthcare fraud and conspiracy, accusing him of running an $89 million scheme that involved billing insurance companies for unnecessary cardiovascular screenings performed on college student-athletes.
Jason Finkelstein, 53, is accused of exploiting young athletes’ concerns about dying from sudden cardiac arrest during competition. According to the indictment, students with no pre-existing health conditions who simply wanted medical clearance to play sports were subjected to tests they had no medical need for.
In one particularly troubling case, a patient whose test results actually showed serious heart abnormalities later died after those problems went undetected — because Finkelstein allegedly certified the results as normal without ever properly reviewing them.
The Justice Department plans to spotlight this case Tuesday at a news conference where officials intend to announce what they describe as record-breaking results in a nationwide healthcare fraud enforcement effort — a priority that the Trump administration has pushed hard over the past year.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, a trained cardiothoracic surgeon who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, issued a sharp statement about the allegations: “The doctor’s alleged conduct, which ignored a textbook diagnosis of preventable cardiac death, is heinous.” He added that healthcare fraud “doesn’t just steal money, it can steal lives.”
Finkelstein entered a not guilty plea during a brief court appearance in Florida on Monday. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
The alleged scheme ran from 2019 through the end of last year and involved Finkelstein along with two unidentified co-conspirators at a Florida-based cardiovascular testing and treatment practice that he owned and operated.
Prosecutors say the fraud worked in two main ways. First, Finkelstein’s company used deceptive marketing to offer free heart screenings to college students who did not medically need them. Co-conspirators sent emails to athletic trainers at colleges and universities, claiming the screenings could detect life-threatening conditions. They also allegedly offered kickbacks and other incentives to school officials who referred students as potential patients.
Because insurance companies require proof of medical necessity before covering cardiovascular testing, Finkelstein allegedly submitted false diagnoses — such as elevated blood pressure and hypertension — to insurers in order to get reimbursed for tests the athletes did not actually need.
The indictment also quotes Finkelstein telling a co-conspirator: “(T)hese kids could be high risk…(o)ne of them drops dead on a field, they’re coming after both of us.”
The tests themselves were performed by sonographers who lacked the proper credentials, according to prosecutors. Because Finkelstein held medical licenses in all 48 contiguous states, his company was able to submit insurance claims for patients across the country.
Perhaps most alarming, prosecutors say Finkelstein routinely certified cardiac test results as normal without actually looking at them. In one 2024 case cited in the indictment, he reportedly signed off on approximately 63 test result images for a single patient in roughly 11 seconds. Those results actually showed multiple cardiac abnormalities — and that patient later died.
