Physical Therapy Law and Order • Posts by EIM | Evidence In Motion Skip To Content

Physical Therapy Law and Order

March 28, 2009 • Advocacy • Larry Benz

or maybe it should be PT CSI?

In either show, it would be a well played drama In what is most likely the largest fraud case involving 6 physical therapy clinics in Houston, Tex.

We have:

70–count indictments

Medicare and Medicaid patients intentionally misdiagnosed (why is this not a crime for spine surgeons?) and billed for services that were never performed from 1996–2000

One defendant ordered to pay 5.7 Million in restitution

Multiple appeals with one including calculation of a 78 month sentence (math not a strong point amongst these crooks) and another involving conspiracy!

A physician giving up his medical license, others still serving time

Is there a PT analog to all of the big time lawyers turned novelists?

While there is often a knee jerk reaction to the criminal cases of this type to want to further regulate PT, let’s remember that these cases all have malicious intention and are clearly crooked.  Some of these cases involve PT’s and others do not.  Let’s not penalize the overwhelming majority of PT’s that are trying to comply with the myriad rules and regulations because of the few.

Let’s do though try and get a few of these cases on one of the TV shows.

larry@physicaltherapist.com

Larry Benz

Dr. Larry Benz, DPT, OCS, MBA, MAPP, is the Executive Chairman of Confluent Health. He is nationally recognized for his expertise in private practice physical therapy and occupational medicine. Dr. Benz’s current areas of interest include conducting research and integrating empathy, compassion, and positive psychology interventions within physical therapy. He released a book on September...

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