Ringgold doctor must pay $27 million for making false Medicare claims

RINGGOLD, Ga. (WDEF) — A Ringgold doctor and his medical practice violated the False Claims Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. A federal district judge ordered Charles Adams, M.D. and his practice to pay over $27 million for violating the FCA.

Charles Adams ( from Personal Integrative Medicine)

His practice is called Personal Integrative Medicine, or Full Circle, which is in Ringgold, Georgia.

According to the DOJ, Adams and his company submitted more than 4,400 false claims to Medicare.

In June 2023, a federal jury in Rome found them to have violated the FCA by submitting false claims to Medicare for chelation therapy reimbursements. Chelation therapy uses drugs to remove heavy metals from the body. According to the jury, Medicare reimbursed Adams’ practice over $1.1 million for these treatments, which the DOJ says is unnecessary.

The DOJ said that Adams prescribed edetate calcium disodium (EDTA) to address many conditions, including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, headaches, GI ailments, fatigue, and other symptoms. However, the FDA does not recognize these symptoms as treatable with EDTA. They only recognize it as being treatable for lead poisoning and lead encephalopathy.

Therefore, Adams falsely claimed that his patients suffered from heavy metal poisoning, so that Medicare would reimburse his use of EDTA, the DOJ said.

U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II presided over the case. On August 25, Judge Ray ordered Adams and his business to pay a total of $27,567,729. He added penalties to the jury’s verdict based on the number of false claims.

“Providers who undermine the integrity of the health care system will be held accountable for their actions,” said Sean Burke, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Actions like this impact every tax paying citizen, in particular, those who rely on federally funded programs for their health care needs.”