Medical fraud under the guise of alternative medicine

See Healiohealth.com for more info.

The breaking news today is the story of a healthcare practitioner from Georgia who was just sentenced to less than five years in prison for medical fraud. Chaunsay Beckwith was the operator of an alternative medical clinic in Tucker, Georgia called International Alternative Medicine Inc., which was offering hyperbaric chamber treatments as a medical alternative. Beckwith fraudulantly made $1,577,827 in claims to insurance companies, and received $1,035,144 in payments for the hyperbaric chamber treatments. In addition to jail time, she is required to repay the $1,035,144 and provide 50 hours of community service.

Hyperbaric chambers are used medically to treat patients who have suffered from burns, recovering scuba divers and even sports players recovering from trauma or injury. Although these treatments have a legitimate medical purpose, Beckwith held no medical license, and her clients were not diagnosed with conditions that would normally be treated with hyperbaric chambers. The International Alternative Medicine Inc. clinic was filing claims with insurance companies using false billing codes in order to receive payment. The claims were filed between 2003 and 2007.

Unfortunately, this represents yet another situation where untrained individuals utilize the alternative medicine label to sell products or services that are not necessarily part of the holistic health genre. While hyperbaric chambers are available to the general public, and reportedly are therapeutic for a number of health conditions, such as fatigue and breathing disorders, professional treatments are typically offered by licensed physicians. It has been gaining some popularity, however, and chambers can be purchased by consumers for home/personal use. (see website at right for more information). Generally alternative and complementary healthcare includes the following, more well-known practices:

• chiropractic
• acupuncture, moxibustion or cupping
• acupressure
• reflexology
• herbs
• homeopathy
• Bach flower remedies
• aromatherapy
• therapeutic essential oils
• reiki
• ayurveda
• yoga, pranayama & meditation
• Qi gong & Tai Chi, and
• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

There are many other new-age therapies, some of them even using newer technology, that are not part of classic holistic healthcare (also known as complementary and alternative medicine or CAM). And, while some of them may truly have therapeutic value, they are not all necessarily holistic in nature. Consumers need to be wary of practitioners offering new unknown and often untested therapies. Research the products before experimenting with them. Don't be afraid to ask the practitioner for their credentials. Although most states do not license CAM practitioners, there are a few trusted certification programs and colleges that offer degrees in CAM fields. (see link list at the right for a few of these). Additionally, unlicensed individuals should not be offering medical services which are provided by physicians or other licensed healthcare practitioners, including injections, minor surgical procedures and/or prescription medications.

Although science is just beginning to study and test the more well known holistic methods such as acupuncture, herbal remedies, and even yoga, many of them have been used successfully for hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years. Don't be fooled! If it seems like magic, or just too good to be true, it probably is.