Korean-American Owner of California Management Company for Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Clinics Sentenced to 121 Months

A recent health care fraud case shows what happens when business people get in a highly regulated business and do not follow the rules or have any compliance program. It also shows what happens when business people decide to enter a healthcare business and cater to an ethnic community which wants services others than those paid for by Medicare.

In this case, it involves the Korean American community in Los Angeles and Orange Counties which is hardworking and entreprenurial but where some do not necessarily understand the full consequences when regulations are not followed. Those consequences? Audits, fines, civil lawsuits and, in this case, criminal cases with lengthy prison sentences.

On January 10, 2017, a California man Simon Hong (also known as Seong Wook Hong) who ran management companies which allegedly operated rehabilitation clinics in Walnut, Torrance and Los Angeles was sentenced to 121 months in federal prison by United States District Judge David O. Carter. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, Judge Carter ordered Mr. Hong remanded into custody.

This is not just a straight forward fraud case. One of the issues is providers giving patients in an ethnic community services other than physical therapy but billing and documenting for physical therapy. In addition, it is a businessman operating clinics and then getting a percentge of income for referring the business. There were traditional health care fraud issues present but it shows what happens when business people decide to operate or manage a clinic.  

Mr. Hong owned or operated physical therapy clinics operated by companies called Hong’s Medical Management, Inc., CMH Practice Solution, and HK Practice and Solution, Inc. As part of his business, Mr. Hong recruited Medicare providers and beneficiaries and provided uncovered services like massage and acupuncture for the beneficiaries. Even though many of the beneficiaries did not receive actual physical therapy, those who worked with Mr. Hong billed Medicare for physical therapy, and then paid a large percentage (allegedly 56 percent) of the reimbursement funds back to Mr. Hong's management companies.

California Occupational Therapist Pleads Guilty to Medicare Fraud Conspiracy. Case Lesson: Danger of Medical Providers Working With Management Companies

On October 24, 2016, a licensed occupational therapist Keith Canlapan pleaded guilty in Los Angeles for his role in a $2.6 million Medicare fraud scheme that involved billing for occupational therapy services that were not provided. The plea was to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud before U.S. District Judge George H. Wu of the Central District of California.  Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 16, 2017, before Judge Wu. 

As part of his guilty plea, Mr. Canlapan admitted that he was a licensed occupational therapist employed with JH Physical Therapy, an occupational therapy clinic located in Walnut, California.  Mr. Canlapan further admitted that through JH Physical Therapy, he billed Medicare for occupational therapy services when no such services were provided to the Medicare beneficiaries.  Instead, the Medicare beneficiaries received massage and acupuncture services, which are not reimbursable under Medicare rules, he admitted.  In fact, on dates that Mr. Canlapan purportedly provided occupational services to Medicare beneficiaries at JH Physical Therapy, Canlapan was admittedly not present at JH Physical and instead was either out of the country or at his other places of employment on some of those dates. 

Between approximately October 2009 and approximately December 2012, Mr. Canlapan, through JH Physical Therapy, admitted in his plea that he billed Medicare $2,669,618 in false and fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid $1,860,786.

Mr. Canlapan was charged in an indictment returned on June 16, 2016, along with co-defendants Simon Hong, 54, and Grace Hong, 50, husband and wife, both of Brea, California.  Simon Hong is the owner and Grace Hong is the co-operator of JH Physical Therapy, and they are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of health care fraud.  Both are pending trial, which is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2017.  An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Attorney Commentary on Management Companies and Patients' Requests for Therapy:

This case is a lesson on what happens when a licensed health care worker goes to work for a management company which helps the occupational therapist (in this case) obtain a Medicare provider number and then does the billing and essentially runs the practice.