Orthopedic Surgeon Paying $85K to Resolve Kickback Allegations

Friday, February 22, 2019 | 0

A Tulsa orthopedic surgeon has agreed to pay $84,666.42 to resolve allegations that he accepted illegal kickbacks from a compounding pharmacy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma announced.

Dr. Brandon Claflin, 42, agreed to the civil settlement after an investigation of numerous health care providers who wrote prescriptions for pain creams formulated by OK Compounding. Claflin started prescribing the creams in 2013 and in exchange was paid “medical director fees” at an hourly rate.

In reality, the payments were illegal kickbacks, federal prosecutors say.

Tricare, a health insurance program for the military, and the U.S. Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs paid for many of the prescriptions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Kickbacks are illegal in conjunction with federal health care insurance.

U.S. Attorney Trent Shores began investigating OK Compounding last year. In December, a federal grand jury indicted Christopher Parks, 57, and Dr. Gary Lee, 58, both of Tulsa, for alleged violations of the federal anti-kickback statute, and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Dr. Jerry Keepers, 65, of Kingwood, Texas, was also named as a defendant in the indictment.