DETROIT — Federal officials have announced the apprehension of 16 area health officials in what they’re describing as the “largest national Medicare fraud takedown in history.”

Officials claim the arrested individuals, including six doctors and a pharmacist, were involved in more than $122 million in kickback schemes and fraud.

Nationwide, 243 people, including licensed medical professionals, were arrested and charged with bilking $712 million from the government through false billings.

According to reports, the scheme involved various unnecessary services, but didn’t involve the dispensing of drugs.

Officials are charging physicians Waseem Alam, 59, of Troy and Hatem Ataya, 47, of Flushing with soliciting kickbacks and submitting false claims through their Bloomfield Hills-based company, Woodward Urgent Care.

Also charged in the indictment were the West Bloomfield-based Shahid Tahir, 45, Muhammad Tariq, 60 and Manawar Javed, 40.

The government brought charges against Dr. William Binder, 58; Muhammad Zafar, 43, of Brownstown Township, Tariq Khan, 47, of Woodhaven, Ghulam Shakir, 43, Dr. Gerald Daneshvar, 39, of West Bloomfield, Dr. Rizwan Qadir, 52, of Bloomfield Hills and Johnny Younan, 52, of Centerline.

Northville-based physician Laran Lerner, 59, of Northville and Dearborn-based pharmacist Mohamad Bazzi, 42, have been charged with defrauding the government out of more than $24 million.