Houston-based federal prosecutors have filed a False Claims Act lawsuit against a Texas physician accused of billing Medicare nearly $500,000 for surgical neurostimulator electrode implantations he allegedly never performed.
Michael Neret, MD, owns and manages Neret MD Medical Clinic and practices in Bay City and Lake Jackson, Texas, according to the Justice Department. The implantations he billed for are complex procedures that require an operating room, and Medicare pays thousands of dollars for each one. The complaint alleges that non-physician practitioners and non-clinical staff instead used inexpensive electro-acupuncture devices during brief in-office sessions, inserting small electrode wires into patients’ skin and securing the devices behind their ears with adhesive.
Dr. Neret allegedly encouraged staff to use the devices without explaining how they would benefit patients, and knew they weren’t billable, according to the complaint. He allegedly used the procedures to justify prescribing narcotics for pain management.
The claims are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
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