If you’re a small or mid-sized health care practice, a recent FBI raid at a Metro Detroit clinic should serve as ample warning that fraudulent Coronavirus (COVID-19) treatment is a serious matter.
The April 23 raid at Allure Medical Spa’s branch in Shelby Township, Michigan, concerned “allegations that the clinic provided fraudulent treatments for COVID-19, and that the clinic did not observe proper protocols to protect patients and staff from the virus,” according to the FBI.
And, on April 28, federal prosecutors charged Allure’s owner, Dr. Charles Donald Mok II, with health care fraud.
Allure, which has offices in Michigan and Florida, allegedly provided high-dose vitamin C injections, which the clinic touted as beneficial in helping “support people’s immune systems and to help those with the virus recover quicker.”
However, as Newsweek reports: “[S]ome hospitals have given high doses of intravenous vitamin C to patients critically ill with coronavirus, [but] an article on the Harvard Medical School website updated on April 9 states, ‘There is no clear or convincing scientific evidence that it works for COVID-19 infections, and it is not a standard part of treatment.’”
The Allure raid is but one example of the watchdog measures the government is employing during the Coronavirus pandemic.
On March 16, 2020, U.S. Attorney General William Barr ordered all federal prosecutors to “prioritize the detection, investigation, and prosecution” of any entity — health care and otherwise — suspected of misconduct in relation to COVID-19.
To this effect, Southern Florida recently launched a federal COVID-19 Task Force, which is going after practices that are allegedly providing unproven advice and treatment for Coronavirus, as well as fake vaccines and cures.
In addition, a presidential order issued March 24, 2020, has made essential medical supply hoarding and price gouging a felony, per the Defense Production Act of 1950 (50 U.S.C. 4501).
Whether you’re a physician, nurse, pain care specialist, physical therapist or pharmacist, federal agencies can investigate you on allegations of administering an unproven or fake Coronavirus treatment method. If that happens to you, the national health care criminal defense attorneys Chapman Law Group are here to advise and represent you.
Our white-collar and health care fraud defense attorneys practice nationwide and are dedicated solely to defending health care providers across the U.S. We will make sure you understand your rights, prepare strategies for what you should do next, and provide the legal guidance you need for FBI, HHS, DEA and FDA investigations that stem from accusations of Coronavirus-related health care fraud.
Chapman Law Group has four national offices: Detroit, Michigan; Miami and Sarasota, Florida; and Los Angeles/Southern California. Contact us today and let us put our know-how to work for your health care practice.
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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) office of diversion uses “red flag” indicators to determine which doctors should be the subject of increased scrutiny, undercover visits,
