California IN BRIEF : FRESNO : Clinics Probed in Medi-Cal Fraud

A group of walk-in medical clinics is being investigated by the state for allegedly defrauding Medi-Cal, according to the state attorney general’s office. State investigators on Friday seized records from five Family Walk-In Medical Centers in Fresno and Clovis, seven homes and three storage facilities. The clinics are accused of performing unnecessary tests on patients and falsifying the length of patient visits in order to collect more Medi-Cal funds, according to Susan Disney, a deputy attorney general in Fresno. Medi-Cal is funded by the state and federal governments to cover medical expenses for the poor. It has not been determined how much money Medi-Cal allegedly was overcharged, but Disney said the clinics received $2 million in Medi-Cal payments between 1987 and 1989. The owner of the clinics, Dr. David Clark, is suspected of paying employees a commission for tests performed on Medi-Cal patients, Disney said. The clinics also are accused of billing brief visits as longer visits and logging in telephone inquiries as visits, Disney said. Clark denies any wrongdoing, according to his lawyer, Richard P. Berman.