Former Niskayuna surgeon to pay $42K for defrauding medicare, feds say

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ALBANY – A former Niskayuna surgeon has agreed to pay $42,000 to resolve allegations he caused a local medical company to submit false claims for payment to Medicare, federal prosecutors said this week.

Steven A. St. Lucia previously pleaded guilty to state health care fraud charges and is set to be sentenced Friday, officials said.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, St. Lucia’s medical license was revoked in early 2000 by the state based on findings he had committed conduct demonstrating moral unfitness and gross incompetence.

Later in 2000, the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services excluded St. Lucia from participating in all federal healthcare programs, including Medicare.

St. Lucia later opened the Schenectady-based Union Foot Solutions, a medical supply company, and applied for the company to participate in Medicare. The application, however, omitted St. Lucia’s standing with the program. That application was denied anyway, for his exclusion.

St. Lucia, however, later transferred ownership to a third party and the new owner reapplied and obtained authorization to participate in Medicare. St. Lucia then continued to work for the company, rendering orthotic and prosthetic care to patients, officials said.

St. Lucia was accused of causing the false claims to be made between December 2016 and February 2018 and that he caused the company to bill for services he furnished under the name of another pedorthist, officials said.