Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 31, 1990 TAG: 9007310460
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A4 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: MONICA DAVEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BEDFORD LENGTH: Short
Paul R. Heaton pleaded guilty Monday to two felony charges in connection with the case, in which authorities say Heaton's chiropractic clinic improperly billed the state and federal insurance programs for the elderly and poor for an estimated $200,000 over the past decade.
As part of an agreement with Bedford prosecutors, four other felony counts were dropped in exchange for Heaton's reluctant plea.
Heaton's wife, Deborah, pleaded guilty last week to a conspiracy charge as part of a separate agreement. William Harris, a medical doctor who worked at the Heatons' clinic, also has been charged.
Outlining a five-year investigation into the Chiropractic Center of Virginia, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Philip Baker said the Heatons had hired medical doctors to work in their chiropractic clinic in order to cheat Medicaid and Medicare.
Medicare pays for only a few chiropractic services and Medicaid pays for none.
But, Baker said, the Heatons billed those insurance programs using the identification number of the medical doctor on staff.
Sometimes Medicaid or Medicare was billed for services never performed, Baker said. Other times, the medical doctor wasn't even in the building at the time the service was given.
In other cases, the insurance companies would be billed for the medical doctor's work when the chiropractor did the treatment.
by CNB