KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Federal prosecutors shut down a company called Mobile Doctors, based in Chicago, with branches in St. Louis and Kansas City.
The charges allege since 2006 Dike Ajiri, Mobile Doctors’ CEO and Dr. Banio Koroma fraudulently increased medicare bills for in-home patient visits. Investigators say the so-called practice of “upcoding” cost the government 13-million dollars and perhaps as much as $32-million dollars in overpayments.
For scores of seniors, having a doctor, who makes house calls is a necessity. However, with the closure of Mobile Doctors, a lot of people are no doubt scrambling to find another doctor to come to their home.
For the last three years, 84-year John Mann and his wife, of Lee’s Summit, have relied on a physician from Mobile Doctors to come to their home and assist them with their medical care.
She’s battling Alzheimer’s. He’s a tuberculosis survivor, who used a motorized scooter to get around.
“I liked this doctor. She was pretty good, helping me out with taking my blood pressure, heartbeat, normal stuff, ” says John Mann.
However, last week the retired car dealership serviceman learned his monthly doctor visits would end…after federal authorities shut down the 17 year old company and arrested Mobile Doctors’ Chief Executive Officer and on of its doctors in the Chicago area. The 42-year old CEO is charged with healthcare fraud. The 63-year old doctor is charged with making false statements relating to federal benefits.
“Wow, that was a real shocker. Well, that’s pretty rotten, but it’s not for me to judge anyone but you can’t get much worse than that, ” added Mann.
“I just was very fortunate to have a therapist that knew another doctor that made house calls and my new doctor, who’s not associated with Mobile Doctors,” will come by my home for the first time on Thursday, ” John Mann told Fox 4’s Robert Townsend.
“Think how many patients that are out there and don’t know that they don’t have a doctor because their appointment date hasn’t come up yet,” adds Mann.
If the company’s CEO is found guilty, John Mann says:
“They should convict him to the full limit of the law and give him a prison sentence or whatever he deserves, ” says Mann.
