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July 31, 2020 – According to the complaint, Ligotti would require patients from these treatment facilities to submit testing and treatments he authorized at Whole Health. Ligotti was then able to bill these patients’ insurance companies for fraudulent tests and treatments. Ligotti also allegedly ordered and conducted urinalysis (UA) tests and blood tests that were never used in patient treatment.
Along with the fraudulent tests, Ligotti allegedly billed the companies for psychiatric services and therapy sessions that never occurred, according to the release. Some patients were allegedly billed between $10,000 and $20,000 by Ligotti for a single day’s visit.
Additionally, the complaint alleges that Ligotti was prescribing large amounts of buprenorphine, a narcotic commonly used to fight opioid addiction, to patients who did not need it.
“The treatment of addiction helps restore an individual’s independence from drugs and good health, so they can go back to their families and be productive members in our society,” said Special Agent in Charge Kevin W. Carter of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Miami Field Division. “Physicians and other medical professionals, who hold positions of trust within our communities, will absolutely be held accountable for violations of that trust.”
