Proper coding is essential: Four Tennessee pain clinics closing after arrests, fraud allegations

Four Tennessee pain clinics closed after federal prosecutors accused them of fraud. Allegedly forcing patients to receive unnecessary back injections and then intentionally mislabeling them for billing.

If patients wanted treatment, clinics required them to agree to six to 12 injections per visit, regardless of need, according to the lawsuit. It also accuses them of billing for Tendon Origin Injections when they were performing Trigger Point Injections. The alleged scheme relies on being paid more for per Tendon Origin Injections than they would per Trigger Point Injection, as well as the fact that Medicaid and Tricare will cover an unlimited number of Tendon Origin Injections compared to Trigger Point Injections which are limited to 4 times a year.

Proper coding matters!