HOUSTON – A Bay City physician faces a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging he fraudulently billed Medicare nearly $500,000 for surgical neurostimulator electrode implantations. Dr. Michael Neret owns and manages Neret MD Medical Clinic and practices in Bay City and Lake Jackson.
According to the complaint, Neret billed Medicare for surgical neurostimulator electrode implantations. These complex procedures require an operating room, and Medicare pays thousands of dollars for each procedure. However, the complaint alleges Neret did not perform the surgeries he billed to Medicare. Instead, non-physician practitioners and non-clinical staff allegedly used inexpensive electro-acupuncture devices during brief, in-office sessions. They inserted small electrode wires into patients’ skin and secured the devices behind their ears with adhesive.
The complaint further alleges Neret encouraged staff to use the electro-acupuncture devices without explaining how the procedures would benefit patients. Neret allegedly knew the devices were non-billable and used the procedures to justify prescribing narcotics for pain management. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura E. Collins and Michelle Luong are handling the matter.
The claims are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.