WALLA WALLA, Wash.- A former neurosurgeon at Providence St. Mary’s Medical Center has agreed to paying back $1,174,849 for bulling unnecessary procedures to Medicare, Medicaid and other health programs.
Over the course of his five-year career in Walla Walla, Jason A. Dreyer performed multiple neurosurgery procedures that patients were not in need of. Dreyer’s agreement comes a year after Providence Health and Services Washington were required to pay $22,690,458 for fraudulent procedures provided by Dreyer and another former surgeon.
Providence allowed Dreyer to resign and not be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank or Washington Department of Health as part of the settlement.
“Patients with spinal injuries and back pain deserve top-notch care from a doctor who puts patients and their safety first,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. “Significantly, as part of the settlement, Dr. Dreyer has agreed to voluntarily exclude himself from federal health care programs nationwide for at least nine years. This settlement will therefore make sure that patients, in Eastern Washington and nationwide, are protected from medically unnecessary and unsafe procedures for many years to come.”
Dreyer moved to work with Multicare Health Systems in May 2019 where he was paid by procedure, meaning more surgeries put more money into his paycheck. The settlement resolves the allegations gathered both at Providence and Multicare.
The former neurosurgeon made an agreement with the U.S Department of Health and Human Services to not work for Medicare, Medicaid or federal health care programs for nine years before he can be reinstated.
