A Colorado man who owned a New Jersey allergy practice has been indicted on charges that he helped bill Medicare and private insurers for allergy shots that no physician prepared or oversaw, according to an Oct. 23 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
Clarence Cutsforth, of Buffalo Creek, Colo., owned Integrated Ancillary Services, an allergy practice in Holmdel, N.J. He faces one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of healthcare fraud. He made his initial appearance Oct. 21 in Denver federal court and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
From October 2020 through April 2023, Mr. Cutsforth, who is not a licensed physician, allegedly set treatment plans and prepared allergen shot doses for patients who had tested positive for allergies. To hide the scheme from insurers, he didn’t bill for the shots himself. Instead, a separate medical practice owned by Dr. Kevin Chongsup Kim billed for them under the credentials of Dr. Kim or another physician, even though neither examined the patients or prepared or supervised the preparation of the shots. The practice allegedly billed for up to a year’s supply of shots for patients who didn’t want them or never received them.
Dr. Kim, 58, of Holmdel, and the practice’s manager, Jin Andrew Kim, 62, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and are awaiting sentencing. Mr. Cutsforth faces up to 10 years in prison on each count. The charges are allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
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