Texas Dentists for Medicaid Reform

For more information call (512) 487-7584

  • Home
  • Issues
  • * Medicaid Difficulty Alert *
    • About the Medicaid Difficulty Alert
    • Alert Form
  • Articles
    • TDMR articles
    • Medicaid Media
    • Compliance Articles
  • Archive
    • The Facts About the Medicaid Orthodontic Scandal 2007 to 2012
    • Antoine Dental Case
    • HHSC-OIG Archive 2012 to 2014
      • TMHP
      • Harlingen Family Dentistry Case
        • Further HFD articles
      • OIG Never Returns Funds
      • Webinar March 19 2012
      • 2008 TMHP Audit by OIG
      • 2012 TMHP Audit by OIG
      • OIG Legislative Testimony
        • OIG Testimony March 19 2013
        • OIG Testimony February 13 2013
        • OIG Testimony February 4 2013
        • OIG Testimony January 30 2013
      • Jack Stick Arrest for DWI
    • Due Process Archive
      • Survey Results
      • Committees
        • Hearing Videos
      • TDMR Submission
      • HB 1536/SB 785
        • House Committee on Human Services
        • Written Testimony
        • Attorney Testimony Videos
        • Dental Provider Testimony Videos
      • SB 1803
        • Overview
        • Bill Moves to House
        • Public Testimony Videos
        • Passes House Committee
        • Bill Changed Before House Vote
        • SB 1803 Has Passed the House!
      • Other Proposed Bills
      • Due Process Legal Articles
      • Legislative Media
      • Media Archive
  • About
    • Dr. Juan D. Villarreal
    • Dr. Paul Dunn
    • Gregory Ewing
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Media / Fort Worth Doctor Sentenced to 10 Years in Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

Fort Worth Doctor Sentenced to 10 Years in Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

February 26, 2021 By TDMR Leave a Comment

A Fort Worth osteopath who attempted to incinerate clinic records has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a $10 million healthcare fraud, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Prerak Shah.

Mark Kuper, the 43-year-old owner of the Texas Center for Orthopedic and Spinal Disorders (TCOSD), was indicted in June 2020. Three months later, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor.

According to plea papers, Mr. Kuper admitted he conspired with his wife, Melissa Kuper, and a TCOSD physical therapist, Travis Couey, to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.

The defendant admitted he fraudulently billed insurers for services the clinic never actually rendered, including physical therapy and psychotherapy, and required patients to attend these bogus appointments in order to receive Schedule II controlled substance prescriptions.

He also admitted that he gave his wife access to the secure device and passcode he used to sign controlled substance prescriptions, allowing her to improperly dispense pain medications on her own initiative, without his input.

In plea papers, Mr. Kuper acknowledged that he submitted claims stating that TCOSD had developed individualized physical therapy plans of care for each patient, knowing full well that the clinic had simply issued a boilerplate template, and for one-on-one physical therapy, even though the patients were actually meeting in groups with an athletic trainer who was not qualified to perform physical therapy.

Mr. Kuper further admitted that although he billed insurers for professional 60-minute psychotherapy sessions, most patients actually spoke with unqualified professionals for just 15 to 20 minutes – often when Mr. Kuper was out of the office.

On multiple occasions, Mr. Kuper billed as though he’d provided more than 100 hours’ work in a single 24-hour day. From 2014 to 2017, he submitted more than $10 million in claims to Medicaid, Medicare, and TRICARE.

As the scheme unraveled, Ms. Kuper attempted to destroy TCOSD documents in an outdoor fireplace at their home. The blaze destroyed their residence, but firefighters were able to recover some of the charred records from the outdoor fireplace.

Mr. Kuper also tried to cover up evidence of the fraud by accessing hundreds of electronic patient records and altering the purported treatment notes to make them appear more comprehensive.

Both Ms. Kuper and Mr. Couey pleaded guilty in September 2020 to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. They were sentenced to 18 months and 36 months, respectively.

The Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lindsey Beran and Steve Fahey, NDTX Criminal Chief, prosecuted the case.

Source: Fort Worth Doctor Sentenced to 10 Years in Health Care Fraud Conspiracy / Unites States Department of Justice, Northern District of Texas

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Media

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search the TDMR Website

Most Viewed Posts & Pages

  • Last Legal Cases of the Great Texas Medicaid Orthodontia Debacle Settled
    Last Legal Cases of the Great Texas Medicaid Orthodontia Debacle Settled
  • Judge Orders Dr. Richard Malouf to Pay Texas Back $12 Million for Medicaid Fraud
    Judge Orders Dr. Richard Malouf to Pay Texas Back $12 Million for Medicaid Fraud
  • Dentist Quits Texas Medicaid in Disgust Over MCNA and DentaQuest
    Dentist Quits Texas Medicaid in Disgust Over MCNA and DentaQuest
  • OIG opens investigations after dental fraud detection operations
    OIG opens investigations after dental fraud detection operations
  • $470,992 in kickbacks. Texas doctor and wife charged in fraud with KY connection.
    $470,992 in kickbacks. Texas doctor and wife charged in fraud with KY connection.

Receive Updates on TDMR Activities

Recent Comments by Readers

  • None on Shreveport Prosthetics agrees to pay $1.6M to resolve False Claims Act allegations
  • None on Shreveport Prosthetics agrees to pay $1.6M to resolve False Claims Act allegations
  • Spencer Bloom on Dental therapists likely to deliver poor care
  • Allen Hindin on Dental therapists likely to deliver poor care
  • Kenneth A Bolin, DDS, MPH on Dental therapists likely to deliver poor care
  • kenneth bolin on Dental therapists likely to deliver poor care

Recent Media of Interest

Dental service organizations are uniquely positioned to close the access-to-care gap

April 16, 2021

Gadsden home service provider arrested for Medicaid fraud

April 16, 2021

New Texas bills target deceptive health care marketing

April 16, 2021

Expanding Medicaid in Texas could benefit 1 million residents in Houston area

April 15, 2021

San Diego Chiropractor Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Multi-Million Dollar Workers’ Comp, Medicare, and TRICARE Schemes

April 15, 2021

Fort Bend County home health owner charged with copying and pasting doctor signatures

April 14, 2021

Criminal recoveries for Medicaid fraud in assisted living top $1 million again due to case discovered after murder

April 9, 2021

Texas Doctor Accused of Defrauding $3.2 Million From Taxpayer-Funded Healthcare Program

April 9, 2021

Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush “seriously considering” run for attorney general, lays out case against Ken Paxton

April 9, 2021

More than a half million Americans gain health coverage under Biden

April 7, 2021

Republican state House speaker backs expanding Medicaid to cover mothers for a year after they give birth

April 7, 2021

Governor Abbot, HHSC approve $254 million for emergency SNAP benefits this April

April 6, 2021

Texas Senate approves a $250 billion state budget — but questions remain about how federal aid will be used

April 6, 2021

Leading speakers in dentistry headlining CDA Presents The Art and Science of Dentistry

April 5, 2021

Bristol-Myers Squibb to Pay $75 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

April 5, 2021

Owners of Heath Care Company Facing Federal Charges for Kickbacks and Fraudulently Billing Medicaid

April 5, 2021

Dentist and Sister Charged in Scheme to Thwart IRS Tax Collection

April 4, 2021

Court puts health care providers on notice that illegal kickbacks can trigger significant damages

April 3, 2021

Ohio-Based Medical Facilities To Pay $10.25 Million To Resolve FCA Whistleblower Lawsuit

April 3, 2021

United States: “Come Down With A Sledgehammer”: FCA Enforcement Priorities In The Biden Administration

April 2, 2021

Las Vegas hospital told to pay $23M in Medicare overpayments

April 2, 2021

Doctor pleads guilty to taking part in Medicare fraud scheme

April 1, 2021

SmileDirectClub must pay Align $45M+

April 1, 2021

NSU dental college hit with disturbing allegations that ‘large portion’ of clinical faculty aren’t properly licensed

March 26, 2021

Indicted Missouri lawmaker faces new fraud charges, this time with CARES Act funds

March 26, 2021

More Articles...

Copyright © 2021 · All Rights Reserved. Texas Dentists for Medicaid Reform · Privacy Policy