A Kentucky podiatrist and his company submitted $1 million in phony claims to insurance programs, federal prosecutors said.
According to a complaint filed in US District Court, since 2012, Dr. Michael C. Allen and his clinic, the Lexington Foot and Ankle Center, “systematically defrauded” Medicare and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program by submitting phony claims for non-reimbursable foot-care procedures.
The clinic, at Allen’s direction, also submitted claims for services that were not actually provided, according to a report by The Lexington Herald-Leader.
Allen’s attorney, Christopher Melton, said that the Lexington Foot and Ankle Center operates “with the utmost integrity and in compliance with all billing and reimbursement regulations and guidance.”
Melton said that the government’s case stems from a lawsuit filed by two disgruntled former employees – a case which was subsequently dismissed by the US District Court.
“The court found the previous case to be legally deficient, and the fact that the United States has chosen to resurrect the case is unfortunate,” Melton told the Herald-Leader. He said that the Lexington Foot and Ankle Center would “aggressively defend itself” against the allegations.
This isn’t the first time Allen’s feet, so to speak, have been in the fire. In a 2010 settlement, Allen and his clinic agreed to pay more than $419,000 to settle allegations that they submitted false insurance claims to Medicaid, Medicare and the Office of Personnel Management, according to the Herald-Leader.
