The owners of A&G Spinal Solutions and pain management physician Michael Frey, MD, received prison sentences after pleading guilty to their roles in a kickback and Medicare fraud scheme, according to News-Press.
Five notes:
1. Dr. Frey was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. The pain management physician also paid a $2.8 million settlement in connection with the investigation.
2. As part of the plea deal, Dr. Frey admitted to a fraud conspiracy with A&G Spinal Solutions. Dr. Frey said he earned a share of the company's profits for referring patients to A&G Spinal Solutions.
3. A&G Spinal Solutions made kickback payments to Dr. Frey through his wife, who was falsely listed as an A&G Spinal Solutions employee. Dr. Frey said he received payments between 2013 and 2015 for referring patients to a specific pain cream prescription.
4. A&G Spinal Solution owners Ryan Williamson and William Pierce pleaded guilty to their roles in the kickback scheme. They were sentenced to one year and nine months, respectively.
5. Dr. Frey also admitted to receiving a "speaker fee" payment from Insys Therapeutics. Investigators said that Insys paid him to get him to write prescriptions for its products.