AMARILLO (December 14, 2012)--West Texas orthodontist Dr. Michael David Goodwin, 63, faces as much as 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty one count of health care fraud for improperly billing the state Medicaid program for millions of dollars.
An investigation showed that Goodwin was billing Medicaid for work done by dental assistants and booking patients at 10-minute increments, pushing them to rush treatments.
He also billed for work he supposedly did at his Amarillo office on days that flight records showed he was in Indiana.
Goodwin admitted filing $2.6 million in billings, some of which were not medically necessary, for at least four years starting in 2008.
Prosecutors moved to dismiss related charges against Goodwin's wife and office manager.
