A Fort Worth, Texas-based physician's assistant has been charged with 11 counts of healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, according to a July 19 news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Ray Anthony Shoulders is accused of injecting amniotic fluid into patients' joints to treat their pain.
"This defendant allegedly claimed that amniotic fluid — a product that has never been approved to treat pain — would alleviate his patients' suffering. He allegedly told patients that the treatment was covered by Medicare, kindling false hopes. To add insult to injury, he allegedly scammed Medicare out of more than half a million dollars," said U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton.
Mr. Shoulders also asked patients to pay $800 out of pocket per injection, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Some patients had also reportedly been told their insurance would cover these costs and consented because of that, but this was not the case.
And while amniotic fluid has been FDA-approved for certain wound care, it is not approved for treating pain, the release points out.
In total, Mr. Shoulders — possibly along with others — submitted $788,000 in fraudulent claims, receiving more than $614,000 in Medicare reimbursements after the fact for these injections, according to the U.S. attorney's office.
"In November 2020, in an attempt to avoid detection, Mr. Shoulders suddenly halted the alleged scheme after he became concerned that a sudden increase in the volume of billings might attract the attention of investigators," the release states. "With no repercussions over the ensuing 10 months, Mr. Shoulders allegedly re-engaged in the scheme in October 2021 and continued through December 2021."
He could face up to 120 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.