Chiropractic is a medical service that many consider to “go against the grain”. It’s involves a field of thought that insists that the body doesn’t necessarily require medication in order to return to a state of good health. Instead, a chiropractic adjustment, which seeks to properly align one’s spine, is meant to give a person’s central nervous system more freedom to heal the body from within.
Depending on your experience with chiropractors, you may be inclined to believe that the treatment they provide is far more beneficial than that of the prescription drug-recommending medical doctors. You may also be under the impression that chiropractors are generally honest people who wish for their alternative form of healthcare to be better understood and utilized more widely.
Leo Kronert Jr. of Frewsburg, New York is one chiropractor, however, that cannot be trusted. As reported by Michael Petro of the Buffalo Law Journal via BizJournals.com earlier this month, the part-time chiropractor, part-time teacher was recently arrested for submitting false claims for payment to Medicare and private insurance companies seeking reimbursement for health care services.
“The claims included services allegedly performed over a five-year period on Kronert’s family members, claims for services the defendant did not provide and claims for services allegedly provided while the defendant was out of town, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Maura O’Donnell, who is handling the case,” reports Petro, “The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.”
Kronert’s case highlights the unfortunate fact that there seems to be no area of the medical world where health insurance fraud isn’t a problem. And a story out of Frankfort, Kentucky seems to support that belief. As the Associated Press unveils, Medicaid fraud also exists in the world of kidney dialysis treatments. Published earlier this month, the story reveals that Kentucky’s Attorney General Andy Beshear is suing Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc. for promoting a kidney dialysis product it knew was harmful to patients.
The lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Circuit Court, cites Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc. as the largest provider of kidney dialysis and renal care products, treatment and services in the United States. “Beshear says the company put patients at risk with its GranuFlo product, which was used in screening blood to remove impurities during dialysis,” reports AP, “He says the company concealed the product’s risks of causing heart attacks, strokes or arrhythmia.”
At Allegiant Experts, we find it pretty unnerving that health insurance fraud and medical malpractice appears so rampant. At the very least, there is evidence that it exists in all facets of the medical world. As a result, our team of clinical experts remains dedicated to assisting attorneys with their litigations against those who commit fraud in the medical world.
For more information on how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 407-217-5831