A Ringgold doctor and his medical practice have been hit with a $27 million judgement for submitting false claims to Medicare.
Dr. Charles Adams was reimbursed more than $1.1 million by Medicare for the unnecessary use of drugs that remove heavy metals from the body, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Georgia.
In June, a Rome, Georgia-based federal jury found Adams guilty under the False Claims Act, and a judge handed down the final judgement after adding penalties late last month.
“Physicians who fraudulently submit unreasonable, medically unnecessary claims put their personal profits over their obligations to both federal health programs and their patients,” said Tamala E. Miles, special agent in charge for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, in the release.
A phone call and email for comment sent to Adams’ practice, Full Circle Medical Center, was not returned by deadline.
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As part of his internal medicine practice, between November 2008 and September 2015, Adams administered the drug edetate calcium disodium to treat a wide range of conditions, including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, headaches, gastrointestinal ailments, fatigue and other general symptoms, the release said.
Edetate calcium disodium is used to remove heavy metals from the blood but not for the symptoms treated by Adams, the release said. The jury found Adams falsely claimed to Medicare that his patients suffered from heavy metal poisoning, according to the release.
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“Providers who undermine the integrity of the health care system will be held accountable for their actions,” said Sean Burke, assistant special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta. “Actions like this impact every tax paying citizen, in particular, those who rely on federally funded programs for their health care needs.”
The jury found Adams and Full Circle liable for submitting more than 4,400 false claims to Medicare for unnecessary treatments, the release said, before rewarding the monetary damages. Under the False Claims Act, U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II was required to triple the jury’s award and add penalties based on the number of false claims submitted.
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“The court’s judgment emphasizes the serious consequences that face health care providers who submit false claims to Medicare,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in the release. “On behalf of those health care providers who faithfully bill for medical procedures, and for their patients who rely on the safety net of Medicare, our office will continue to work vigorously with our federal agencies and law enforcement partners to pursue providers who engage in misconduct.”
— Compiled by Andrew Wilkins