WASHINGTON – Four Metro Detroit physicians were found guilty of health care fraud for their roles in a scheme to administer unnecessary back injections to patients in exchange for prescriptions of medically unnecessary opioids.
“These physicians subjected patients to medically unnecessary injections to reap millions in fraudulent billings.
While working at Tri-County they engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare of over $150 million by billing for medically unnecessary facet joint injections, unnecessary urinary drug screens, home health and more.
Those patients were forced to submit to unnecessary facet injections for the prescription.
Officials said they provided prescriptions for narcotics, including opioids and benzodiazepines, as an incentive to patients who received the injections.