NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Two companies that ran a Clarksville pain management clinic and two of their managers have agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle federal claims that they billed Medicare and the Department of Veterans Affairs for medically unnecessary tests, U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek of the Middle District of Tennessee announced.
The settlement resolves False Claims Act allegations against Clarksville Pain Institute, LLC; Pain Institute of Nashville, PLC; Michael Cox; and Debbie Cox. The claims are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
What the government alleged
The United States filed a complaint on September 11, 2024. It accused the defendants of submitting, or causing others to submit, false claims to Medicare and the VA between April 2014 and May 2024.
The complaint centered on three types of testing: urine drug testing, allergy testing and psychological testing. Prosecutors said the tests were not medically necessary.
The clinic
Clarksville Pain Institute operated a pain management clinic with its main location in Clarksville. It also had locations in White House and Springfield. The clinic merged with Pain Institute of Nashville in 2018…