A 49-year-old local physician has agreed to pay $523,331 to settle allegations he submitted false claims for the placement of electro-acupuncture devices and for making false statements when applying for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Dr. Emad Bishai is an anesthesiologist and pain management physician who practices in The Woodlands. Woodlands Pain Institute PLLC is his primary practice entity. From July 12, 2017, to May 10, 2019, Bishai billed the Medicare and TRICARE programs for the surgical implantation of neurostimulator electrodes. These are invasive procedures usually requiring use of an operating room for which Medicare pays thousands of dollars. Neither Bishai nor his staff performed this surgical procedure. Instead, patients received devices used for electro-acupuncture. This only involved inserting needles into patients’ ears with the neurostimulator taped behind them with an adhesive. In addition to the financial settlement, Bishai and Woodlands Pain Institute PLLC have agreed to a seven-year-period of exclusion from participation in any federal healthcare programs.
