News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2007
Contact: Joanna Zoltay
Number: 312-886-2597

Milwaukee Pain Treatment Doctor Pays $509,000
In Civil Damages And Penalties
Resolves Allegations of DEA Violations and Submission of False Medicare/Medicaid Claims

MAR 16 -- (Milwaukee, WI) - Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Chicago Field Division Gary G. Olenkiewicz, along with United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Steven M. Biskupic, announced a Settlement Agreement has been reached with Milwaukee physician, Richard Wang. Wang, a pain treatment specialist, has agreed to pay the government $509,000 within 60 days of the effective date of the Agreement. The payment resolves allegations that Dr. Wang violated DEA guidelines concerning the prescription of controlled substances and submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid.

In a related agreement with the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board, Dr. Wang has formally retired from the practice of medicine as of March 14, 2007. In view of these agreements, the United States will not be bringing any criminal, civil or administrative actions against Dr. Wang. At the same time, the agreement is not a concession by the United States that its claims are not well founded.

“We’re pleased that the government was able to reach an agreement with Dr. Wang,” stated Gary G. Olenkiewicz, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Chicago Field Division, which covers the state of Wisconsin. “It is unfortunate that Dr. Wang has had to end his medical career in this manner.”

Dr. Wang received his medical license in 1964, and was a psychiatric physician licensed to practice medicine in the state of Wisconsin. The American Medical Association’s “Physician Sheet” listed Dr. Wang’s primary specialty as pain medicine, with a secondary specialty in addiction medicine. Dr. Wang was formerly a physician with the Milwaukee VA Medical Center where he specialized in pain management and the treatment of drug addiction. He formerly held a DEA practitioner’s registration authorizing him to dispense controlled substances in schedules II-V, but did not however, have DEA authorization to prescribe controlled substances for treating drug addiction.

The investigation revealed that from June 1, 1999 to April 14, 2004, Dr. Wang: (1) failed to provide the level of care necessary to support his use of certain medical billing codes which claimed that Dr. Wang was providing a high level of complex office visit services, thereby allowing him to obtain greater reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid than he was entitled to receive; and (2) wrote inappropriate prescriptions for a variety of controlled substances, including OxyContin, Oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone, and morphine, outside the usual course of professional practice and not for legitimate medical purposes. Dr. Wang surrendered his DEA registration following the execution of a federal search warrant at his office in April 2004.

The investigation involved several agencies, including the Milwaukee Police Department, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, DEA, FBI, Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Attorney’s Office and the Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing.