Health Care Providers Found Guilty
CVN News
07-31-2008
Two chiropractors were found guilty on charges of health care
fraud, relating to billings for a controversial back pain
treatment known as Vertebral Axial Decompression or `VAX-D.`
An Atlanta orthopedic surgeon had pleaded guilty in March 2007.
The three had had operated a health care network in North
Georgia and Tennessee known as the Associated Spinal Care
Network (ASCN). The defendants were convicted of running a
fraud scheme involving ASCN`s billing for the `VAX-D` back pain
procedure.
VAX-D is a non-invasive back pain procedure that uses a mechanical table to stretch a patient`s spine.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia considered VAX-D to be investigational and not medically necessary.
Nevertheless the defendants billed Blue Cross/Blue Shield
for over $3 million relating to the VAX-D procedure from
2001 through 2005. The defendants were convicted of lying to
Blue Cross about what procedures ASCN was performing in order
to get paid for this non-covered procedure. Specifically,
instead of using the specific billing code assigned to VAX-D,
ASCN used a different code that pertained to surgical nerve
decompression procedures.
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