Doctors Cash In on Drug Tests for Seniors, and Medicare Pays the Bill

Pain specialists order costly tests for illegal drugs such as cocaine and angel dust, which few seniors ever use

http://www.wsj.com/articles/doctors-cash-in-on-drug-tests-for-seniors-and-medicare-pays-the-bill-1415676782

Medicare’s spending on 22 high-tech tests for drugs of abuse hit $445 million in 2012, up 1,423% in five years… For dozens of pain doctors, Medicare payments for drug testing have eclipsed their income from treating patients, a Wall Street Journal analysis of 2012 billing data shows.

The HHS inspector general has pursued several cases involving drug testing recently. In one, Kentucky firm PremierTox 2.0 LLC settled a federal civil suit alleging that two doctors who were part owners of the lab referred specimens to it for testing that wasn’t medically justified. The lab and doctors agreed to pay $15.75 million.

https://edsinfo.wordpress.com/2014/12/10/drug-testing-for-painkillers-motivated-by-profit/