A Philadelphia dentist was sentenced to prison for submitting almost $5 million in fraudulent dental bills to insurance companies.
Owen Rogal, DDS, and his daughter, Kim Rogal, were found guilty of insurance fraud and other related charges in May, according to the Office of the Philadelphia District Attorney.
On November 18, a judge sentenced the 73-year-old dentist to one to seven years in prison. His daughter was ordered to serve 11 to 23 months under house arrest.
The Rogals, who operated the Pain Center, billed 15 insurers at least $4,800 for pain treatments, according to officials. They made more than $1 million during the past decade, investigators said. Dr. Rogal performed a procedure called radiofrequency surgery, an intramuscular procedure in which tissue is destroyed using heat generated by a radio signal. It involved inserting a needle into the affected muscle, which the Rogals claimed could alleviate chronic pain.
The treatments had a maximum value of $800, but the Rogals sought reimbursements of $4,800. The Rogals then charged insurance companies by using a billing code for a high-risk invasive procedure performed on a nerve bundle located in the brain.
The Rogals pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and related charges in May, and were ordered to pay almost $373,000 each in restitution to seven insurance companies.
