Bucks chiropractor charged with insurance fraud

Published: 2011-11-17 15:10:14
Author: Michael Matza | Philadelphia Inquirer | October 26, 2011

Howard A. Bloom, of Bucks County, owner of Weathervane Chiropractic, a rehab facility with locations in Ivyland and Southampton, was arraigned Tuesday on charges he submitted more than $116,000 in fraudulent claims to two insurance providers.

The complaint by Pennsylvania Attorney General Linda Kelly alleges that Bloom submitted claims under a billing code that requires a doctor to have direct one-on-one contact with a patient when in fact the procedures in question were performed by massage therapists working for Bloom.

On more than five occasions, according to the complaint, Bloom claimed to have provided 30 to 47 hours of treatment in a single day.

In addition, the attorney general accuses Bloom of adding an individual to Weathervane's group-insurance coverage plan, even though the person was not an employee of the practice.

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