A pain management practice in Ohio and its owner paid six figures to resolve False Claims Act violation allegations, according to the Department of Justice.
Four things to know:
1. Leon Margolin, MD, and his practice, Columbus, Ohio-based Comprehensive Pain Management Institute, paid $650,000 to resolve allegations that it billed Medicare for nerve conduction studies as well as other interventions that weren't medically necessary or provided.
2. Nerve conduction can measure the speed that electrical impulse moves through nerves, and when performed without electromyography it can be misleading. As a result, it is considered medically unnecessary in most cases. The treatment can be delivered to individuals with substance abuse problems as an initial intervention.
3. The government accused Dr. Margolin of billing for these studies without performing electromyography and for substance or alcohol abuse in patients who didn't have a history of abuse. In some cases, the services weren't provided as billed.
4. The settlement resolves the issues identified in a government investigation.