APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Apple Medical Clinic and Dr. Michael Johnson agreed to pay $382,362.95 to the U.S. government over allegations they violated the False Claims Act (FCA).
The alleged false claims to Medicare are for electrical muscle stimulation treatment, vitamin injections, and other related services not deemed medically reasonable or necessary.
Apple Medical Clinic is based in Appleton. The clinic offered outpatient treatment to block pain using a device called the RST Sanexas neoGEN-Series. The device is used with vitamin blend injections and other services, such as epidermal nerve fiber density testing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin says those treatments and the way they were administered was not medically necessary and not covered by Medicare. Despite that, Dr. Johnson advertised the treatment as covered and billable to Medicare. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also says Johnson was a distributor for the device and marketed it for indications outside its FDA clearance and against National and Local Coverage Determinations.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, the settlement amount consists of a $175,000 payment and the U.S.’s retention of $207,362.95 held by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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