Attorney Steven Dettelbach. The doctors and chiropractors treated patients with a risky treatment reserved for the most extreme cases of back pain. The patients were under conscious anesthesia and the procedure is classified as surgery by the American Medical Association, according to the indictment.
In order to mislead the insurance companies, though, the defendants used fake diagnoses and submitted false billing claims that said procedures were done by osteopathic and medical doctors instead of chiropractors, according to the U. Attorney's Office. They also waived required patient co-payments and deductibles. The patients were told they did not have to pay anything, according to the release.
The Livas, Fritz, Nickels, Fortuna, Simone and the company are charged with one count each of conspiracy, wire fraud and health care fraud.
Those six people are also charged with money laundering. Here are some additional conditions that Dr. Nickels may treat:. Low Back Pain. Riad Laham MD. Melinda M. Lawrence MD. Patient Experience: 2. Khalil MD. Patient Experience: 1. Kareem M. Omar A. Omar MD. Aleksey A. Prok MD. William R. Welches DO.
Mary Penkala CNP. Kermit W. Fox MD. What Are Procedures Performed? According to our data, Dr. Nickels performs the following procedures. Fluroscopic Guidance. How often Dr. Nickels performs Fluroscopic Guidance relative to the other doctors also performing the procedure in Ohio:. See doctors who frequently perform this procedure. Spinal Canal Injection. Nickels performs Spinal Canal Injection relative to the other doctors also performing the procedure in Ohio:. Ultrasound Guidance of Needle.
Nickels performs Ultrasound Guidance of Needle relative to the 1, other doctors also performing the procedure in Ohio:. What Are Payments Received? Many pain medicine specialists have received payments from medical companies ranging from small amounts in the form of food at conferences to large payments for consulting or royalties. Some have received payments for specific drugs. These payments are not necessarily cause for concern, but we encourage you to speak with Dr. Nickels if they do raise any questions or issues.
Nickels has received a notably large amount of money from medical companies. This graph represents payments Dr. Nickels received relative to the median payment received by similar doctors. For more information about specific types of payments, see the breakdown of payments by category. The payments received by pain medicine specialists can range across a variety of different categories.
These can include travel and lodging, food and beverages from conferences, or fees for promotional speaking or consulting engagements. Some have also received payments from royalties or licenses, usually from having helped develop a product or drug. This chart represents the breakdown of payments Dr.
Nickels has received by specific category of payment. See the breakdown of payments by company. These payments come from specific medical companies, sometimes for specific drugs. If you have any questions or concerns about the specific company or drug payments Dr. Nickels has received, we encourage you to speak with him directly. Nickels has received from specific medical companies, including payments for drugs and medical products. Pain Medicine Specialist Primary.
Pain management providers are medical doctors trained in the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of different types of pain. These providers use various techniques to reduce the pain patients experience and help them cope with long-term pain. Treatments provided range from lifestyle change and exercise, to acupuncture, electrical stimulation, and physical therapy. Some doctors offer drug therapy to reduce pain; however, this is often left as a last resort treatment to prevent addiction. Addiction Medicine Specialist.
Addiction medicine is the specialty area of medicine that deals with addiction. Practitioners primary concerns are with patients; however, a great deal of their work involves public health and social work.
With patients, they aid in detoxification, rehabilitation, harm reduction, and abstinence-based treatment. Additionally, they treat addiction-related diseases such as hepatitis and HIV. Anesthesiologists are medical doctors responsible for pain management during surgical procedures through medication and anesthesia.
Anesthesiologists are additionally responsible for managing pain post-surgery through local anesthetic or intravenous medicine. While historically anesthesiologists have been part of the care team in a supporting function, anesthesiologists increasingly hold the pain medicine certification. In this role, they see patients and prescribe medication to address serious pain related issues.
View a map and get directions on CareDash. Nickels has a patient experience rating of 4. Learn more. Please check Dr. Nickels's profile to see all the conditions he treats. Nickels may accept Medicare. Please contact Dr. Nickels to verify eligibility before booking an appointment. Nickels is affiliated with Grace Hospital. Please view Dr. Nickels's profile to see additional affiliations. Peter J. Greco MD. Chong H.
Kim MD. Samuel W. Thus, the evidence compellingly proves that Kozmary LLC became Petitioner's sole owner at the end of June or beginning of July , seven months prior to Dr. Nickels' conviction. Remaining, however, is the question of whether Dr. Nickels continued to assert management responsibility after the beginning of July Nickels' signature.
As I have discussed, that presumptively establishes that Dr. Nickels remained in some management capacity as of that date. It is Petitioner's burden to rebut that presumption. I find that Petitioner did so. Both Dr. Kozmary and Ms. Nickels had no management authority after the completion of the sale of Petitioner's stock to Kozmary LLC at the beginning of July Documentary evidence persuasively supports their assertions.
Nickels entered into a physician services agreement with Kozmary LLC. It does not suggest that Dr. Nickels remained employed by Petitioner. Indeed, the agreement recites explicitly that Dr. Nickels terminated his employment with Petitioner. The agreement defines "Specialty Services" to consist of the following: i professional services; ii medical services; iii services that are ancillary to the professional or medical services; or iv other Specialty-related services that could result in a technical fee for a healthcare provider.
These services clearly describe professional medical services. They do not describe management services. Nickels suggests that he would continue to manage Petitioner in any capacity. To the contrary, the agreement makes it plain that he would not. Additional language in the agreement supports this conclusion.
Article IV of the agreement defines Dr. Nickels' duties and responsibilities. At section 4. Nickels would practice medicine in his specialty on behalf of Kozmary LLC. It is silent as to any other duties or responsibilities. There is no additional language anywhere in the agreement that suggests that Dr.
Nickels would provide services beyond professional medical services. The agreement also makes it clear that Dr. Nickels would provide services under the direct authority of Kozmary LLC. Nothing in the agreement allows Dr. Nickels to operate independently of Kozmary LLC. Pursuant to that agreement Dr. Nickels continued to provide some services at Petitioner. As of October , Dr. Nickels worked at Petitioner's facility only one day per week.
His services consisted only of providing technical advice to mid-level providers concerning administration of treatments for pain. Nickels' signature? I find persuasive Ms. Lee's explanation that this filing constituted an error on her part. Lee testified persuasively that she did not understand the importance of putting Dr. Kozmary's signature on the form.
She stamped Dr. Nickels' signature on the form because Dr. Kozmary was not present to sign the form. She testified persuasively as well that she was unaware of the need to file a change of ownership form. As I have discussed, this case hinges on whether Dr. Nickels either continued to own Petitioner or supervised its operations as of the date of his conviction. It is not about Petitioner's filing of incorrect forms or about its failure to file a required document. There may be penalties elsewhere in the regulations that address such failures, but here, the operative issues are actual ownership and management.
The evidence in this case is overwhelming. Nickels neither owned nor managed Petitioner on January 31, , the date of his conviction. CMS asserts that there are ambiguities and unclear aspects to the evidence filed by Petitioner that render that evidence less than persuasive.
It contends that Petitioner's evidence is inconclusive and is therefore insufficient to overcome the presumption that it continued to be owned and managed by Dr. Nickels on January 31, I have explained why I find Petitioner's evidence to be persuasive. CMS's arguments notwithstanding, I find no meaningful ambiguity or inconsistency in any of that evidence. It is true that Petitioner asserts that the transaction closed on or about June 30, , but the evidence offered by Petitioner makes it absolutely clear that Dr.
I disagree. As I explain above, the transfer of stock from Dr. Additional money due to Dr. Nickels after Dr. Nickels transferred his stock.
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