A podiatrist practicing in East St. Louis pleaded guilty in a US District courtroom to committing healthcare fraud from 2016 to 2020. Howard Jackson, 69, of Florissant, Missouri, admitted he routinely billed Medicare and Medicaid for procedures he did not perform. Dr. Jackson was a podiatrist with a practice in East St. Louis, Illinois. Between January 2016 and December 2020, he engaged in a healthcare fraud scheme by submitting claims to Medicare and Medicaid for “nail avulsions” he did not perform. A “nail avulsion” is a surgical procedure that involves the separation and removal of all or part of a toenail from the tip of the nail back to the base of the nail. The procedure typically requires the use of anesthesia to avoid causing extreme discomfort to the patient. Dr. Jackson admitted in court papers that, on many occasions when he billed for a nail avulsion, he had not used anesthesia and had provided only routine foot care like trimming and clipping nails. Jackson cheated Medicare and Medicaid out of at least $144,694.69 as a result of the fraud.
