The judge ordered Dr. Ma Dongxin and his clinic, Ma Acupuncture Center, to pay $2.3 million to the United States under the False Claims Act.
AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin acupuncturist has been ordered to pay millions of dollars in damages after his clinic overcharged military veterans for acupuncture treatments.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman ordered Ma Dongxin and his clinic, the Ma Acupuncture Center, to pay $2.3 million to the United States under the False Claims Act in a lawsuit that alleged Ma submitted inflated bills to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for acupuncture services he provided to veterans through the VA’s Community Care Program.
The lawsuit alleges that Marr billed the VA for 60 minutes of private consultations with each veteran, even though he never spent more than 15 minutes with each patient. The government’s complaint alleges that Marr billed for as many as 61 hours a day of private consultations with veterans.
“Healthcare providers who treat our nation’s veterans are held to the highest standards,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “My office is committed to holding accountable health care providers who defraud the VA’s health care benefits program.”
“This civil settlement demonstrates VA OIG’s commitment to protecting the integrity of VA’s health care programs and preserving taxpayer funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Raper of the VA Office of Inspector General’s South Central Field Office. “VA OIG thanks the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their work on this case.”
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