A former New Hampshire doctor has pleaded guilty

A former New Hampshire doctor has pleaded guilty to authorizing orders for medically unnecessary knee, wrist and back braces that were used by companies to submit more than $1.9 million in false Medicare claims. Steven Powell, 53, of Alpharetta, Georgia, pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of health care fraud. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 30. Prosecutors said he agreed to electronically sign orders for the medical equipment for companies that submitted the fraudulent claims to Medicare. He received kickbacks for the orders, which were not legitimately prescribed. The plea agreement recommends a sentence of a little under four years in prison and that Powell pay the money back.