Columbus, OH – A Dayton (Greene County) physician who was banned from treating injured workers in 2009 pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud after he was caught using the information of another physician in order to receive reimbursement from the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC). Eric Barker, D.C. was sentenced in a Franklin County courtroom March 5 and must repay more than $16,000.
“Ensuring our network of medical providers is providing professional, quality care for injured workers is the most important job we have at BWC,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer. “BWC determined it was in the best interest of injured workers to remove Dr. Barker from our network, but he attempted to get around his decertification by breaking the law.”
BWC’s Special Investigations Department (SID) opened an investigation after receiving an allegation that Barker was inappropriately utilizing Health Insurance Claim Forms for the treatment of injured workers.
Investigators learned the business, located at 1353 Woodman Drive, had been sold to Barker, who was decertified as a BWC provider in 2009 due to a felony conviction. An analysis revealed BWC reimbursed approximately $8,000 to Teeters Chiropractic after that sale for chiropractic manipulation, evaluation and management and consultation services that were in fact rendered by Barker. The bills were submitted using another assigned BWC provider number as a way of circumventing Barker’s exclusion from the workers’ compensation system.
SID and local law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence and conducted interviews with Barker and his wife. Barker confessed to treating injured workers and billing for the services after he was decertified by using another chiropractor’s provider number.
Eric Barker pleaded guilty to a felony count of workers’ compensation fraud. Franklin County Judge Julie Lynch ordered him to pay $8,587.57 in restitution to BWC, in addition to and $8,000 for investigative costs. He was also sentenced to five years of community control, which will cease once he pays full restitution. He will serve a 12 month prison term if he violates these conditions.
Source: Ohio BWC SID