Dr. Suess Indicted for Medicaid Fraud

The author Dr. Seuss said “And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed;” but not for a Kentucky physiatrist named Dr. Suess,  who has been indicted on 14 counts of Medicaid fraud following an investigation of his billing practices.

Not to be confused with Dr. Seuss (the American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children’s books), Lawrence Edward Suess was indicted on charges that he allegedly and fraudulently billed Medicaid for individual and family therapy sessions for 12 patients.

Attorney General Jack Conway and his Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control announced the indictment of the psychiatrist who owns Western Kentucky Center for Psychiatric Medicine. The charges against Suess are all Class D felonies, which are punishable by up to a maximum of five years in prison each.

And if you can do math, which I’m guessing you can, you know that could equal 70 years for his plan.

According to the press release from the Attorney General’s Office, the indictment alleges that Dr. Suess intentionally submitted false claims to Medicaid claiming that he provided interactive individual therapy sessions that paid at higher rate than the sessions that he actually performed. The indictment also alleges that he fraudulently billed for family therapy sessions. The charges allege that from January of 2005 through September of 2007, Dr. Suess fraudulently billed Medicaid for those sessions.

Investigators from Conway’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control investigated this case and prosecutors from the office are handling the case in Hopkins County Circuit Court.

Suess’ arraignment is set for January 10, 2012.