Boise Chiropractor Sentenced for Medicaid Fraud

Published: 2011-06-10 09:25:33
Author: Bob Cooper

  (Boise) - Dr. Jerry Cramer, a chiropractor practicing in Boise, was sentenced yesterday for the felony crime of Grand Theft.  Fourth District Judge Michael McLaughlin ordered Cramer to repay $140,742 to Idaho Medicaid.  The court sentenced Cramer to 90 days in jail and 14 years of supervised probation.  Cramer pleaded guilty to one count of Grand Theft on April 20, 2011.

Cramer contracted with the Idaho Medicaid Program to provide chiropractic care to Medicaid patients.  In 2008, Cramer started billing Idaho Medicaid for chiropractic services that he was not providing.  In some instances, Cramer was billing Medicaid for the care of patients he had not seen in several years.  For services he had not provided, Cramer received $25,089.63 from Medicaid in 2008, $56,219.26 in 2009 and $39,466.25 for the first five months of 2010.

The case was initially investigated by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Program Integrity Unit before it was turned over to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for further investigation.  The case was prosecuted by the Office of Attorney General at the request of Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower.

Idaho Medicaid provides health care services to more than 200,000 Idaho citizens who are poor, elderly or disabled.

Medicaid fraud is a crime that deprives Idahoans of needed health care and cheats Idaho taxpayers.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates 10% of Medicaid expenditures are fraudulent.  If that is correct, it means Idaho taxpayers will be billed for $140 million of fraudulent expenditures this year.

The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) investigates and prosecutes Medicaid fraud by health care providers and the abuse, neglect or financial exploitation of patients in any facility that accepts Medicaid funds.

To report fraud by Medicaid providers, contact the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at (208) 334-4100.  To report fraud by Medicaid recipients, contact the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare at (866) 635-7515 or by e–mail atwelfraud@dhw.idaho.gov.

 FULL STORY