Physicians and Other Health Care Professionals

In Florida, two chiropractors were each sentenced to six months home detention, ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and pay $400,000 in joint and several restitution for their involvement in a variety of fraud schemes. Among other things, the chiropractors were involved in an illegal kickback arrangement with a diagnostic company, billed Medicare using a physicians’ Medicare number without his knowledge or consent, utilized unlicensed and unsupervised personnel to perform procedures, billed chiropractic services as physical therapy, and routinely upcoded services.

Employee Misconduct

In South Dakota, a former Indian Health Service (IHS) employee was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay a $6,000 fine for false statements involving Federal health care programs. The woman was a medical records technician at an IHS hospital. Investigation revealed that during a two-year period, in order to save time and avoid workload backlogs, the woman entered the same diagnosis code for patients seen in the emergency room regardless of their medical condition.