Calif. Clinic Accused of Surgery Scam

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http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040721_2382.html

Calif. Clinic Accused of Surgery Scam

.... 5,000 patients were recruited from across the country and flown to

California, where they underwent surgeries that were billed at excessive

amounts to their insurance companies...

At least 1,600 employers are known to have had workers who received the

treatments, which included colonoscopies, upper gastrointestinal procedures,

surgery to correct sweaty palms, hemorrhoid surgery and treatment for pain

management, officials said.

It was unknown if anyone was injured during the procedures.

The allegedly fraudulent claims were made to hundreds of insurance

companies, including Blue Cross, Aetna and Cigna, and the patients could now

be required to pay for the surgeries, prosecutor Rick Welsh said...