United States Attorney David Metcalf announced on Mar. 16 the filing of a complaint under the False Claims Act in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, marking another step in a national investigation into improper billing involving the RST-Sanexas neoGEN-series electric stimulation device.
The case is significant as it targets alleged fraudulent practices related to federal healthcare programs, which do not reimburse for electrical nerve stimulation treatments provided in outpatient clinics or for vitamin injections used alongside such treatments. The government has previously recovered millions through similar False Claims Act cases against providers of these devices.
The complaint names Drs. Michael Glickert and Joseph Novof of St. Louis, Missouri, their clinic The Vanguard Clinic LLC, and Sanexas device distributorship Fleur de Lis, LLC. According to the allegations, Glickert promoted Sanexas treatment and vitamin injections as reimbursable by Medicare and gave coding instructions despite knowing that such billing could be considered fraudulent. Novof is accused of falsely certifying that vitamin injections were medically necessary without knowledge of their ingredients.
“Our office continues to lead the national charge to hold alleged fraudsters accountable for improper Sanexas billing,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “We will continue working closely with our partners at CMS’s Center for Program Integrity, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and sister U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country to pursue any other providers who inappropriately billed for these devices and caused false claims to be submitted.”
The ongoing effort involves collaboration between multiple federal agencies including the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Center for Program Integrity, Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, other federal healthcare programs, state partners, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide.
Officials encourage anyone with information about potential fraud or abuse to report tips or complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477). The government emphasized that all claims are currently allegations only and no determination of liability has been made.
