Chiropractor Settles Fraudulent Neurostimulator Billing Claims

A chiropractor operating in California and Oklahoma agreed to pay $180,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

Kevin Brown submitted hundreds of claims to Medicare for surgically implanted neurostimulators even though his companies did not perform surgery or implant neurostimulators, the DOJ said. Brown admitted that he and his companies instead taped a disposable “electroacupuncture” device called “Stivax” to their patients’ ears, which did not require surgical implantation and are not reimbursable by Medicare.

In addition to paying the civil settlement, Brown agreed to a five-year exclusion period from Medicare, ...