2 Howland chiropractors must pay hefty restitution

Staff report

COLUMBUS

Two Howland chiropractors have been sentenced to pay nearly $179,000 in combined restitution to Medicaid and the Bureau of Workers Compensation.

Jeffrey Stychno and Michael Frasca must each pay $69,781 to BWC and $19,715 to Medicaid after they were each convicted of fraudulent billing practices during their time as co-owners of Integrated Health in Warren.

“Our investigation found that these doctors purposely double-billed for patient appointments, billed for nonexistent appointments and even billed for time spent out of the office,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.

“We are pleased that the state is getting that money back so that it can be put towards legitimate medical costs,” he said.

“We like to believe the health of Ohio’s injured workers is the foremost concern among our medical professionals, yet fraud among some in the medical provider community is an unfortunate reality,” said Steve Buehrer, CEO and administrator of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.

Stychno pleaded guilty last week in Franklin County Common Pleas Court to one count of theft and one count of workers’ compensation fraud, and was also sentenced to serve five years’ probation with a 12-month maximum suspended sentence.

In April, Frasca pleaded guilty in that court to charges of Medicaid fraud and workers’ compensation fraud and was sentenced to one year of probation.

The convictions stem from multiple incidents of double-billing and billing for services not rendered and/or services not authorized between November 2006 to December 2009.

In 2009, when agents were investigating the matter, Stychno worked out of the Integrated Health Inc. offices at 5500 E. Market St. in Warren, near the state Route 5 outerbelt.