Port Clinton Medical doctor Sentenced to Jail for Prescribing Managed Substances With out Health-related Necessity and Overall health Care Fraud | USAO-NDOH

Performing U.S. Legal professional Michelle M. Baeppler introduced that William Bauer, 85, of Port Clinton, Ohio, was sentenced today by U.S. District Choose Jack Zouhary to 5 years in prison and was requested to pay $464,099.14 in restitution, of which $253,300.55 will be paid to Medicare and $210,798.59 to Medicaid. In addition, Choose Zouhary purchased Bauer to fork out $100,000 in community restitution. The group restitution will be distributed 65% to the Ohio Legal professional Typical, Criminal offense Target Solutions Segment, and 35% to the Ohio Office of Psychological Wellbeing & Addiction Expert services. The Courtroom strongly recommended that the local community restitution amount of money go to the Psychological Wellbeing and Recovery Expert services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot Counties.

Judge Zouhary pronounced the sentence right after Bauer was convicted at trial of 76 counts of distribution of managed substances and 25 counts of well being treatment fraud.

“This defendant unnecessarily distributed unsafe and extremely addictive managed substances and continuously overlooked warning symptoms that his steps were being resulting in harmful damage to his people and the local community,” explained Acting U.S. Attorney Michelle M. Baeppler.  “No make a difference your title, people who flood the streets with unsafe medication and prey upon susceptible people will respond to for their actions.”

“Criminal misconduct within the health care process is harmful and harmful,” reported FBI Distinctive Agent in Demand Eric B. Smith. “Not only does health care fraud effects insurers by means of monetary decline, but also to doctors, hospitals, and taxpayers who have been unwitting individuals to the deceitful steps. We will proceed to get the job done diligently to uncover fraudulent techniques that risk community wellbeing.”

“The sentencing of William Bauer demonstrates our commitment to halting these who fuel the opioid epidemic,” said Kent R. Kleinschmidt, Acting Particular Agent in Demand of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s Detroit Field Division.  “Medical pros who disregard their oath and alternatively seek to financial gain at the cost of their patients and group will be brought to justice.”

According to court paperwork and evidence offered at demo, among 2007 and 2019, Bauer, at his practice in Bellevue, Ohio, repeatedly recommended medically pointless controlled substances, such as Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Morphine and Tramadol, outside the house the regular program of qualified follow and not for a respectable health care goal.

In the course of the demo, prosecutors showed that Bauer approved higher doses of opioids and other controlled substances to patients without regard to any improvement in suffering level, purpose, or excellent of daily life prescribed perilous drug combos unsuccessful to look at a patient’s point out of habit and dismissed warning indications of abuse and diversion this kind of as patients’ stealing medications, usually requesting early refills, shedding medicines and other actions.

The case targeted on Bauer’s cure of 14 patients.  Through the demo, prosecutors showed that these individuals experienced a reduction of employment, fractured family members and expert deteriorating mental health and fitness ailments as a end result of their drug dependency.  In one particular occasion, court docket documents condition that in 2015 a client of Dr. Bauer died from an accidental overdose.

In addition to his conviction for distributing managed substances, Bauer was also convicted of well being treatment fraud.  As section of the wellness treatment fraud scheme, Bauer billed insurers after prescribing medically unneeded controlled substances and administered needless epidural and trigger stage injections that failed to fulfill sure procedural needs.  For the reason that these injections unsuccessful to fulfill the procedural specifications, they ended up rendered ineffective and fraudulently billed to insurers. 

“This health practitioner contributed to the tidal wave of opioid overdoses that flooded our communities,” Ohio Lawyer General Dave Yost claimed. “I am happy of the point out and federal partnerships that continue on to get the job done to stem the tide of dependancy.”  

“Providers sow distrust in our nation’s overall health care technique when they participate in well being care fraud and pursuits that endanger their clients,” stated Mario M. Pinto, Special Agent in Demand with the Division of Well being and Human Solutions, Place of work of Inspector Standard. “Along with our regulation enforcement associates, HHS-OIG will keep on to maintain accountable all those who threaten the security of beneficiaries by way of overprescribing and partaking in wellbeing treatment fraud.”

Courtroom paperwork state that the overall decline total to Medicare and Medicaid because of to the fraudulent billing techniques was $464,099.14.

This scenario was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Office of Well being and Human Providers – Place of work of Inspector Basic and the Ohio Lawyer General’s Place of work. The scenario is staying prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ava R. Dustin, Michael A. Sullivan, Robert N. Melching and Payum Doroodian.