Christopher Fronczak Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud

Source- http://www.fbi.gov/buffalo/press-releases/2011/rochester-chiropractor-pleads-guilty-to-health-care-fraud

ROCHESTER, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Christopher Fronczak, 37, of Victor, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Charles J. Siragusa to health care fraud. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard A. Resnick, who is handling the case, stated that during the years 2005 and 2010, the defendant, while a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, executed a scheme to defraud Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (“Excellus”), a health care benefit program, by submitting reimbursement claims for services he did not perform.

Part of the scheme involved chiropractic services the defendant provided to college football players and other athletes at St. John Fisher College. Fronczak provided adjustments to the athletes after practices which took appropriately five minutes each but he submitted claims to Excellus for more expensive treatments which were not provided, including spinal manipulation, electrical stimulation, mechanical traction, manual therapy techniques, and an office visit. The claims submitted were virtually identical for each football player.

In another case, a 45-year-old patient was treated for shoulder pain once or twice a month. This patient never received mechanical traction and most visits would lasted approximately 10 minutes. Despite this, Fronczak submitted claims for numerous visits which never took place and for services which were never rendered, including application of hot and cold packs, mechanical traction, electrical stimulation, manual therapy techniques, and spinal manipulation.

During the years 2005 through 2009, the defendant was also hired by the Crossman Corporation as an independent contractor to provide Chiropractic services to their employees. The company paid Fronczak approximately $67,000 but he billed the employees’ insurance companies as well.

The total loss to Excellus due to the defendant’s conduct was more than $200,000.


************************************************************************
Report Medicare & Medicaid Fraud by Calling 1-888-482-6825 or by visiting
www.usawhistleblower.com