Two northwest Iowa chiropractors face a state hearing over allegations that they were billing Medicaid and Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield for services that had never been provided to patients.
Dr. Douglas Schwartz and his wife, Dr. Courtney Carmichael-Schwartz, run a chiropractic clinic in Spencer. According to on-line documents, the couple already has agreed to pay over $16,000 to compensate the state and federal government and nearly $22,000 to Wellmark for fraudulent billing. That came after a federal investigation.
The Spencer chiropractors now face a hearing in April before the Iowa Board of Chiropractic. According to records posted on the board’s website, the Spencer clinic billed for services not covered by Medicaid and they didn’t have a mechanical traction table, for example, but allegedly submitted bills for mechanical traction. In August, the couple signed an agreement with the Iowa Department of Human Services which bars them from billing Medicaid for 25 years.
The couple issued a statement to the Spencer newspaper on Wednesday, saying they disagree with the findings and “believe a full hearing with all of the facts stated will resolve the issue.”