Three clinic owners in Richmond have decided to cough up as much as $108,000 to sweep away allegations that they've been fleecing Medicare with fake claims, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani's announcement. Ijeoma Bethel from Sugar Land, Yvonne Hernandez of Houston, and Nick Bryant Villegas from Pearland, who helm the Texas Wellness Clinic PLLC, have been accused of improperly billing the federal health care program for procedures that were never performed.
From late January 2016 to mid-September 2020, this trio allegedly submitted claims for the surgical implanting of neurostimulator electrodes – a pricey procedure generally done in the OR that can cost Uncle Sam thousands of dollars apiece. But in a classic bait-and-switch, the government claims there was no actual surgery. These patients simply got needles stuck in their ears and had a device stuck behind them with a bit of tape, labeled as electro-acupuncture. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, these claims are about to be settled.
The Texas Wellness Clinic has also consented to a five-year time-out from dipping into any federal health care programs. It appears Bethel, Villegas, and Hernandez used to work at Campbell Medical Clinic in Houston. That clinic's owner, one Suhyun An, chalked up to a staggering $2.6 million settlement previously and agreed to a 10-year ban from federal programs following a similar scandal.
The Southern District of Texas has been hot on the heels of such fraudulent claims, with this case marking the 11th resolution in a series of similar incidents. The laundry list of previous settlements includes a Katy anesthesiologist, a Houston pain doctor, and definitely not-to-be-forgotten Cypress podiatrists, who've had to quickly settle twice for similar deceits. Despite the settlements, there has been "no admission of wrongdoing," and these accusations remain just that - unproven claims, the U.S. Attorney's office notes.
The office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services conducted the investigation into these alleged shenanigans, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Gray quarterbacking the case. Whether the acupuncture-adhesive combo was a genuine mistake or a calculated con, the settlement puts an end to the allegations without dragging any party through a courtroom slugfest.
