A 54-year-old anesthesiologist from Katy has paid $100,000 to resolve allegations that he falsely billed Medicare for the use of acupuncture devices. From Nov. 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019, Dr. Jaime Robledo billed Medicare for the implantation of neurostimulator electrodes—a surgical procedure that usually requires use of an operating room. Medicare pays thousands of dollars for this procedure. However, Robledo did not perform these surgeries. Instead, he applied a device used for electro-acupuncture. This procedure involves inserting needles into patients’ ears with the neurostimulator taped behind them with an adhesive. Medicare does not reimburse for electro-acupuncture devices as implantable neurostimulators.
