Roseville podiatrist pleads guilty to healthcare fraud

Oct. 24--A Roseville podiatrist accused of carrying out a $1 million healthcare fraud scheme pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Sacramento.

Neil A. Van Dyck, 64, was a California-licensed podiatrist who operated a Roseville practice called Placer Podiatry. According to court documents, Van Dyck offered "spa-like" treatments and performed routine foot care in his practice.

Between 2009 and 2014, he submitted more than $2.8 million in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to Medicare, Medi-Cal, Tricare and private insurers. He falsely claimed that he performed more expensive procedures than he actually performed, or that the routine foot care provided was justified because of illness or symptoms that were not present. Treatments often were performed by unlicensed staff members, sometimes when Van Dyck was not present at his practice. Van Dyck also altered a single-use skincare patch, cutting it into pieces, and billed Medicare for multiple applications, authorities said.

In response to a request for documents from an investigator for Medicare, Van Dyck altered patients' medical records to justify his fraudulent bills. Authorities said Medicare, Medi-Cal, Tricare and private insurers paid Van Dyck more than $1 million for his fraudulent claims.

Van Dyck is to be sentenced Jan. 15 by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr.

The case resulted from a investigation by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the FBI.

Cathy Locke: 916-321-5287, @lockecathy

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