Well-Known Cosmetic Surgeon De-Listed by WC Board

Monday, February 4, 2019 | 0

A prominent New York plastic surgeon, known for stitching up a Donald Trump supporter for free after a bar brawl, has been crossed off the list of doctors authorized to treat injured workers.

Dr. Joseph Pober

Dr. Joseph Pober, who has offices on Park Avenue in Manhattan, is barred from participation in the state workers' compensation system after he was charged with false billing and negligence, the New York State Workers' Compensation Board announced this week.

A state medical board last summer investigated Pober and found that he “falsely represented” on insurance claims that he did numerous skin-grafting procedures to close wounds from biopsies, or that he actually did them, which “deviated from medically accepted standards,” according to news reports.

Health insurer Cigna also alleged that Pober submitted more claims than any other physician for a type of skin graft and “unlawfully” obtained $393,715 in reimbursements from the insurance company for three years, news reports show.

The state Department of Health suspended Pober's license to practice for 18 months. He must now complete education courses on coding, pain management, documentation and controlled substances, the board said.

The workers' compensation board chair "believes that Dr. Pober may be guilty of misconduct, and that such misconduct would detrimentally affect the quality of care provided to injured workers," the bulletin reads.

Pober's website notes that he was chief of surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. News outlets also reported that Pober, a Trump supporter, also treated a man, for no charge, after the man was allegedly attacked in 2017 for wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap popular with Trump fans.

The board did not report how many injured workers Pober has treated.