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A 39-year-old Honolulu man entered a not responsible plea in federal court docket Friday to allegations that he used unlicensed people to supply bodily remedy and chiropractic providers then faked claims that resulted in accumulating greater than $3 million in funds over a interval of 4-1/2 years.
Stephen Timothy Wells owned and operated Ehukai Kapolei LLC and Healthcare Companions Inc., which did enterprise on Oahu as Oahu Backbone and Rehab. Wells had no medical coaching or different coaching associated to well being care, in keeping with a Dec. 8 indictment charging him with seven counts of well being care fraud and 4 counts of aggravated id theft.
Wells is scheduled to go to trial on the costs Feb. 14 earlier than Senior U.S. Decide Helen Gillmor. Wells stays free on an unsecured $50,000 bond. His lawyer, Richard Sing, declined remark. Assistant U.S. Lawyer Mohammad Khatib is prosecuting the case for the federal government.
Hawaii’s U.S. Lawyer Clare E. Connors mentioned in a written assertion, “This indictment displays the division’s dedication to investigating and prosecuting crimes involving false billings to public well being packages and the improper provision of healthcare services to members of our neighborhood.”
Between July 2013 and Dec. 31, 2018, Wells allegedly submitted claims for fee for bodily remedy and chiropractic services to TRICARE, Medicare, Veterans Well being Administration and Hawaii Medical Service Affiliation.
Federal prosecutors highlighted seven false claims allegedly made by Wells, six to TRICARE and one to HMSA, starting from $152.70 to $315 as examples of providers offered by unlicensed employees members. Among the many unlicensed employees members tasked with offering bodily remedy and chiropractic providers had been a therapeutic massage therapist, an athletic coach and a private coach.
Within the circumstances of Medicare claims, which require a nationwide supplier identifier — a novel quantity issued by the Facilities for Medicaid and Medicare Companies —Wells allegedly used the identify and NPI variety of licensed practitioners when in actuality they didn’t carry out any of the work.
Wells allegedly used NPI numbers of 12 professional NPI holders to submit claims to well being care profit packages that falsely said bodily remedy and chiropractic providers had been offered when unlicensed workers at Oahu Backbone and Rehab carried out the providers. Wells allegedly used six totally different billing codes that detailed the sort therapy sufferers obtained.
He additionally allegedly offered “items and complimentary childcare” to sufferers as a method to encouraging them to frequent his enterprise, thereby maximizing the depend of fraudulent claims he might submit, in keeping with the federal court docket paperwork.
His faux claims allegedly resulted in $3.3 million in funds to his firm, in keeping with federal prosecutors. Wells allegedly diverted cash from these funds and used it to fund his way of life and different enterprise ventures, in keeping with the indictment. Wells, who was born in La Jolla, Calif., surrendered his U.S. and Canadian passport.
