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Yellow Pages
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Yellow Pages
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Written by TAC Staff: Yellow Pages
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 10:20 |
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Palmer Announces Dismissal of Lawsuit
IOWA: Palmer College of Chiropractic officials announced on June 30, 2008, the positive outcome of the lawsuit filed against the former Palmer alumni association and the members of its executive committee. This defamation of character lawsuit was based on untrue statements and character attacks made in 2004 against members of the Palmer Board of Trustees, the College and the administration. On Thursday, June 26, an agreement was reached with the seven members of the former alumni association. The settlement agreement allowed the College to dismiss its defamation of character lawsuit against those individuals.
"All we’ve ever asked is that these individuals issue an apology to members of the Palmer Board of Trustees as well as the College administration, and we would dismiss the lawsuit," said Palmer Board of Trustees Chairman Trevor Ireland, D.C. "The Board’s intention in filing the lawsuit was to have the record set straight. As a Board, we held fast on our position that we would dismiss the lawsuit as soon as these individuals issued a public apology and admitted that their comments pertaining to the Palmer Board of Trustees, its members and the College administration were not true. We are very pleased with this outcome."
On June 26, the alumni—John Willis, D.C., David Reopelle, D.C., Ted Conger, D.C., Kirk Lee, D.C., Marc Leuenberg, D.C., Frank Bemis, D.C., and Scott Harris, D.C.—issued a collective public apology to the Board, the College and the administration. The Board accepted the apology and retraction, and the lawsuit was then dismissed.
The apology and retraction from the named alumni is as follows:
"We acknowledge that this situation has developed into something entirely different from anything we desire. We certainly do not now, nor have ever, wanted to harm Vickie Palmer or Palmer College or impugn their reputation in any manner. We apologize for any comments or actions which Vickie Palmer or Palmer College may have deemed offensive to them. We acknowledge that Vickie Anne Palmer has received nothing from Palmer College except for expense reimbursements in connection with her services as a trustee and chairperson of the board of trustees.
"In addition, we fully understand the governing structure of Palmer College of Chiropractic. The board of trustees makes and has always made the substantive policy decisions. Such decisions are not made by administrative personnel.
"We believed we exercised our First Amendment Rights. If we exceeded our Constitutional rights, we apologize.
"We apologize for the inconvenience and injured feelings Ms. Palmer and the trustees may have undergone."
"I am very pleased that Palmer was able to dismiss the lawsuit against these individuals," said Palmer Chancellor Larry Patten. "I am extremely proud of the Palmer Board of Trustees for its firm position relating to those who may choose to wrongfully denounce our people and our purpose. We appreciate the public apology. We are happy to have this matter behind us so that we can devote all of our energies and attention to moving the College forward."
Press release submitted by Palmer College of Chiropractic
On-Line License Renewal Is Eco-Friendly
OKLAHOMA: Renewing licenses is often a cumbersome paper intensive process and in its second year of online license renewals, the Oklahoma Board of Chiropractic Examiners (OBCE) reminds chiropractors that renewing online saves time, money, and consumption of paper. In fact, more than 300 sheets of paper, 300 envelopes, and 300 stamps have been spared in the first year of service, saving the board $4,000 and 120 employee hours. Chiropractic physicians can access the online renewal service at http://www.chirorenewal.ok.gov. "Instead of having our Chiropractic professionals mail in their renewal forms, we take pride in providing them with the option of renewing online," said Beth Carter, Ex-renewal Executive Director of OBCE. "We would like to encourage all Chiropractic professionals to renew online, because it is easy, secure and fast."
The online renewal service enables licensees to pay online with Visa, MasterCard and electronic check payments utilizing OK gov’s secure payment engine. Upon completing the renewal process and approval from the board, licensees can print their certificates, thus reducing mailing and printing costs for the state.
Many other states offer online renewal. For more information, go to http://www.healthguideusa.org/chiropractor_license_lookup.htm.
Leechburg Woman Pleads Guilty in Chiropractor Fraud
PENNSYLVANIA: An Armstrong County woman has pleaded guilty to participating in a chiropractor’s insurance fraud scheme. Federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh say 55-year-old Susie Horning of Leechburg accepted kickbacks from Westmoreland County chiropractor Douglas Henderson, who submitted fraudulent claims for treatment under Horning’s insurance policy.
Henderson of Lower Burrell has already pleaded guilty to defrauding Highmark out of more than $7 million by submitting false claims or having patients do it for him.
Horning pleaded guilty in late July to health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 24.
Two other women were sentenced in January to probation and ordered to pay more than $450,000 in restitution for their involvement in the scheme.
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Yellow Pages
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Written by TAC Staff: Yellow Pages
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Sunday, 27 July 2008 11:42 |
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Chiropractor Suspended for Ads—Again
KANSAS: Wichita chiropractor Todd Eck will lose his license for 30 days, beginning July 1 and pay a $10,000 fine because he failed to specify in two advertisements that he was a chiropractor.
Ryan Hodge, Eck’s attorney said Eck’s patients would be cared for by others during the suspension.
The discipline was ordered by the Kansas Board of Healing Arts, which reduced the staff-recommended 90-day license suspension after hearing from Eck at the board’s June 21 meeting, board president Betty McBride said. State law requires those governed by the board to specify in advertising which branch of medicine they’re licensed in.
Eck inadvertently left the designation off the ads, Hodge said, and didn’t catch the omission on draft forms of them. Those answering the phone said, "Eck Chiropractic," Hodge said, "so there was never an issue of anybody being deceived by the ads."
McBride said the suspension and fine were ordered because it’s not the first time Eck has faced the board over advertising practices. "That’s why the board felt it was very important that action be taken, to protect the public."
In April 2004, Eck paid a $2,500 fine for failing to identify what kind of doctor he was in an advertisement in The Newton Kansan.
The new case involves two December 2005 ads, one in The Newton Kansan and one a direct-mail ad. The disciplinary petition was filed in October 2007. Each ad identified "Dr. Todd Eck, a local doctor" and "Eck Clinic" but failed to say what kind of doctor he was.
"When there’s a repeat offense, that triggers some additional sanctions," said Larry Buening, whose last day as executive director of the board was June 30.
The Wichita Eagle
Chiropractor Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Tax Evasion
MAINE: A chiropractor who used to practice in Damariscotta pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud and three counts of tax evasion in U.S. District Court on Friday, June 27. Steven P. Amato, 52, faces a maximum jail term of ten years for the fraud count and a maximum of five years for each of the tax counts. Each count also carries a maximum fine of $250,000.
Amato, currently of Yorkville, Calif., practiced in Damariscotta from 2000 to 2004.
Amato was accused of submitting fraudulent claims to insurance companies for services he did not provide to patients. The losses to health insurance companies were estimated to be more than $100,000.
He was also accused of filing false federal income tax returns from 2001 to 2003. It’s estimated that he underreported his income by nearly $650,000 and evaded taxes of $249,637.
Mainetoday.com
Appeals Court Upholds Conviction of Nebraska Chiropractor
NEBRASKA: A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of a Lincoln chiropractor and his wife for tax evasion. Mark Gustafson and his wife, Salwa Gustafson, were each sentenced last September to 30 months in prison.
In its ruling, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Gustafsons’ arguments that a lower court erred in excluding some exhibits and in its instructions to the jury.
Federal authorities had said the couple failed to file tax returns from 1998 to 2000. Prosecutors said they also used sham business trusts and offshore accounts to conceal their income.
Mark Gustafson is currently serving his sentence in a South Dakota federal prison. His wife is set to begin her term after her husband’s release to allow for one parent to be with their child.
http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/index.html
U.S. Sen. Harkin: Announces Nearly $150,000 for the Palmer College of Chiropractic
WASHINGTON, D.C: Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) recently announced that the Palmer College of Chiropractic received a $148,435 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for medical research. The university will use these funds to establish a research program at the Developmental Center for Clinical and Translational Science in Chiropractic. "The Palmer College of Chiropractic continues to impress the medical community with its advanced findings and this funding will help support their work," Harkin said. "The results of such research will add to our scientific understanding and will improve the quality of life for people in Iowa and across the country."
Harkin has been a long-time supporter of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the federal agency responsible for medical research. As Chairman and formerly ranking member of the subcommittee that funds health and education, Harkin led the effort to double NIH funding over five years. President Bush has proposed freezing funding for the NIH at $29.3 billion.
Iowapolitics.com
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Written by TAC Staff: Yellow Pages
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Friday, 27 June 2008 16:19 |
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Warwick DC Scales Everest on Second Try
RHODE ISLAND: The second time is the charm for Warwick chiropractor Timothy Warren, who is believed to be the only Rhode Islander to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain.
Warren reached the top of Mount Everest on Friday, May 21, according to a news release from A Wish Come True, the Warwick-based organization that grants wishes to children ages 3 through 18 who suffer from life-threatening illnesses.
In a post on his Web site, Warren said he is tired but pleased that he reached the summit on his second try at climbing Everest. In 2007, Warren made it to 24,000 feet on the mountain but was forced to abort his quest for the tallest peak in the world when he came down with a throat infection.
Warren called his efforts to scale Mount Everest the "Klimb for Kids" because he uses his mountain-climbing to raise money for the A Wish Come True group.
He managed to raise about $15,000 for the group with his first effort. This year’s expedition hopes to raise $50,000 for this Rhode Island organization
At 29,035 feet above sea level, Mount Everest is the world’s tallest peak. Almost 200 climbers have died trying to make it to the top.
Warren is a veteran climber who has climbed Mount McKinley in Alaska, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and Mount Aconcagua in South America. He endured an extensive training program before making his climbing attempts.
The Providence Journal
NIH to Study Activator Method’s TMJ Treatment
ARIZONA: Dr. Arlan Fuhr, co-founder and CEO of Activator Methods International, announced recently that his Activator Method to treat temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders will be included in research funded by the National Institutes of Health. He said $400,000 was earmarked to study his method, which uses a hand-held tool to adjust the spine and joints without using force.
Fuhr said he won’t lead the pilot study. Instead, Dr. James DeVocht, associate professor of the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research in Iowa, will be the principal investigator, along with Clark Stanford, a dentist and associate dean for research at the University of Iowa.
The study will recruit 80 participants with TMJ disorders. One-third of the group will receive the Activator treatment, while another third will receive dental treatment, and the remaining third will be the placebo group.
Of the 65,000 chiropractors in the United States, about 35,000 have been trained in the technique. Of those, 2,100 are proficiency rated using the Activator, Fuhr said.
Fuhr said when he first began treating patients complaining of TMJ problems, one patient’s condition was so severe that for many years she could only open her mouth 3 or 4 millimeters. She drank all her nourishment through a straw.
"We adjusted her," he said. "Her mouth opened for the first time in many years and she could eat again."
Two years ago, he published research papers showing his findings and recently finished a new textbook. Fuhr said that helped build a stronger case for the NIH funding.
"I worked 15 years raising money from our own profession—$200 a doctor," he said. "It took me 15 years to raise $600,000. Here, we get a grant for $400,000 in one shot. Doing this study in concert with the dental profession at a major university and having a really well designed study gives credibility to the whole project."
Phoenix Business Journal
GEORGIA: A one-year-old boy will not have to appear in a Harrisonburg, Virginia, court to answer charges that he failed to pay a chiropractor bill now that the plaintiff has dropped the lawsuit. A subpoena was delivered to the home of Richard White and in that subpoena White’s one-year-old son was named in a lawsuit claiming that the toddler had failed to pay a $391 bill.
White said he had taken his son, Jacy, to a chiropractor shortly after he was born but he never received a bill. According to White his insurance wouldn’t cover the charge and it wasn’t until recently that he received a bill, about the same time he was forwarded a subpoena that had been sent to his old residence.
Jacy was scheduled to appear in Rockingham County General District Court in May but the lawsuit has been dropped.
TransWorldNews
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Written by TAC Staff: Yellow Pages
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Wednesday, 28 May 2008 10:33 |
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Habitual Non-filer Gets Jail Time
WASHINGTON: A U.S. district court in Tacoma recently sentenced a chiropractor in Puyallup to three months in prison and seven months in a halfway house for failing to file federal income tax returns, reported the U.S. attorney’s office.
U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle also ordered Kevin Lynn Terry, 45, to file all delinquent tax returns and to pay all remaining taxes due.
Terry allegedly used trusts to conceal his chiropractic income and personal assets, including his home, during the years 1996 and 1997. The IRS audited those two years and found the trusts to be shams. Terry later agreed to the IRS’ tax assessments for those years.
Beginning in 1998, he changed tactics and began to willfully evade the IRS’ ability to assess and collect tax for the years 1999 through 2001. This included not filing individual Form 1040 returns.
He also formed a corporation in 1998, named Puyallup Chiropractic Clinic Inc., with himself as president, for which he did not file Corporate 1120 tax returns.
During the subject years of 1999 through 2001, Terry evaded tax of about $70,000.
Before criminal charges were brought, he filed tax returns for the subject years and paid the taxes due.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Benjamin Settle said, "The term tax protestor is merely a polite way of saying tax cheater." The judge stated further, "It’s not enough to just pay when you are caught. If being caught results only in having to pay the tax, our system would collapse."
Kenneth J. Hines, the IRS special agent in charge of the Pacific Northwest, said, "During the last three years, over 800 non-filers have learned a hard lesson: that cheating the American public can lead to their prosecution."
KIROTV.COM
Former Chiropractor Sentenced for Insurance Fraud
PENNSYLVANIA: A former Mercer County chiropractor will spend three years in prison for defrauding an insurance company.
Thirty-eight-year-old Brent J. Detelich, of Clearwater, FL, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh in mid-April. A jury convicted him of health care and mail fraud in March 2007.
Prosecutors say Detelich submitted fraudulent claims to Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield for services not rendered. He then split the payments from those claims with some patients.
Detelich did business as Detelich Chiropractic, and Advanced Medical and Holistic of Hermitage, about 60 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
He must also pay $91,025 in restitution to Highmark. And he’ll be on supervised release for two years after his release from prison.
Associated Press
Chiropractic PIP Benefits Denied Based on Exam by Orthopedic Surgeon
MASSACHUSETTS: An insurance company could terminate a plaintiff’s personal injury protection benefits for chiropractic treatment based on an independent medical examination by an orthopedic surgeon, the Supreme Judicial Court has ruled.
The plaintiff—who had been injured in a car crash caused by a policyholder of the defendant insurance company—argued that, under the "same profession requirement" in G.L.c. 90, Sect. 34M, the insurer’s determination to cease paying PIP benefits had to be made by a doctor licensed under the same specialty as the treating or billing physician.
But the SJC disagreed, reversing a Superior Court judgment for the plaintiff.
"Relying on the language of 34M...[the insurer] contends that the same profession requirement only applies ‘when a refusal to pay a bill for medical service’ is based solely on a medical review of the bill or of the medical services underlying the bill," wrote Justice Roderick L. Ireland for the court. "We agree."
Because the insurer’s refusal to pay "was based on an IME rather than a medical review of the bill or the medical services underlying the bill, we conclude that the plain language of the statute makes the same profession requirement inapplicable," he continued.
The 11-page decision is Boone v. Commerce Insurance Co., Lawyers Weekly No. 10-079-08.
MN Pets Could Get New Line of Care: Chiropractors
MINNESOTA: An attention-getting proposal to open the door to chiropractic care for animals in Minnesota appears headed for approval.
The Minnesota House has backed a compromise plan that has also gained the support of the state Senate. It would allow chiropractors to work on animals if they receive training and have received a referral from a veterinarian.
The language is in a broader policy bill that will next go before a House-Senate conference committee. Chiropractors and veterinarians were at odds over an initial bill.
Veterinarians had expressed concern that chiropractors were not fully trained to spot all types of injuries on an animal. One provision requires chiropractors to post a sign notifying customers that they treat animals.
Minnesota Public Radio News, http://www.mpr.org
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Written by TAC Staff: Yellow Pages
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Monday, 28 April 2008 13:15 |
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Allstate Accuses Chiropractic Group of Multistate Scam
TEXAS: Allstate Insurance Company filed a federal lawsuit in early March alleging deception and coercion on the part of a Texas-based chiropractic company.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, accused 66 defendants of taking part in an insurance fraud scheme by convincing car crash survivors that they had severe injuries requiring immediate treatment, which Allstate had to cover.
The lead defendant is Arlington-based Chiropractic Strategies Group Inc. and its owner, Michael Kent Plambeck. Other defendants include related law office management companies, attorneys and telemarketers.
Allstate seeks $10 million in the lawsuit, alleging violations of the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
According to the 67-page complaint, a telemarketing company would solicit people who had been in car crashes, offering them a free chiropractic exam. Once at the clinics—located in Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Alabama—patients were told they needed immediate treatment.
Patients were also referred to personal injury lawyers, some of whom would show up at the clinic to sign up the patients as clients, according to the lawsuit.
The Dallas Morning News
California Doctor Arraigned for Fraud
CALIFORNIA: California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced in early March that an alleged fraud perpetrator has been arraigned for committing insurance fraud. Dr. Jon Fields, 53, of West Hills, CA, filed a long term disability claim with his insurance carrier, UnumProvident Corp., for an alleged injury he suffered in 2001. According to insurance company records, Fields claimed that his injury prohibited him from continuing his work as a chiropractor from September 2001 until May 2005. During this time period, UnumProvident paid Fields more than $298,000 in benefits, the Department of Insurance said. The California Department of Insurance (CDI) investigation revealed that Fields allegedly continued treating patients while collecting benefits.
On Dec. 12, 2007, Fields surrendered himself to CDI investigators, and subsequently was booked on multiple counts of insurance fraud and one count of grand theft. Fields was arraigned on Jan. 7, 2008, and his next court appearance is scheduled for April 10, 2008. If convicted, Fields could be sentenced up to five years in state prison, a fine of up to $50,000, and court-ordered restitution to UnumProvident.
The case is being prosecuted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Insurance Journal
Pup Is Patients’ Best Friend
OHIO: Going to work everyday can be rough. For Lady Roxanne Rompsalot, it can be "ruff"—but she loves it. The 3 1/2-year-old English Springer Spaniel goes to work with her owner, Dr. Keith Seibert. She greets patients at the door, and often observes while they receive their adjustments and other treatments.
Roxy enjoys relaxing on an exam table, especially if the patient is sitting in one of the chairs. Seibert said patients will often joke that Roxy wants her adjustment first, and he obliges.
The spaniel loves the patients. "There’s nothing that she doesn’t like. She didn’t understand children for a long time," he said. Roxy is not allowed to bark in the office, but she barked the first time she saw a little girl. Seibert worked to get Roxy accustomed to humans who are smaller than what she was used to seeing. "Now she just loves kids."
Roxy also loves a yellow stuffed animal with red spots, which was a birthday present from a 3-year-old patient. Seibert said she often brings that toy to children who want to play with her.
"One of her favorite toys is this rope," Seibert said as he held up a long white rope that had knots tied in it. That rope once helped him notice improvement in a patient who had a problem with his shoulder, when he saw the patient and Roxy playing tug-of-war with the toy.
The chiropractor said only four of his patients do not want Roxy around during their treatments. During those appointments, Roxy stays in a kennel in a side room.
Port Clinton News Herald
Chiropractor Found Guilty of Sex Abuse
UTAH: American Fork chiropractor Grant Joel Hildreth was convicted by a jury of two counts of forcible sex abuse on March 25th for allegedly inappropriately touching a former patient and employee. Four other felony counts representing three other patients were dismissed by the eight-member jury.
The jury agreed that Hildreth had crossed a criminal line during two separate procedures on a patient and former employee in late May 2007.
The former secretary testified that several times after work she allowed Hildreth to apply medication on her, but on two occasions the application began to become sexual, she testified during the trial.
Hildreth will be sentenced May 2.
Deseret Morning News
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