In 1972, the state of Florida enacted laws that required every motorist to carry a minimum of $10,000 in personal injury protection coverage. The goal behind the law was to reduce lawsuits between drivers involved in Florida car accidents. Unfortunately, a negative side effect has been widespread pain clinic fraud. State investigators, who recently conducted an investigation, are now considering pressing criminal charges after finding regulatory violations in almost 90 percent of the pain clinics that treat car accident victims in Miami-Dade County.
According to the Agency for Health Care Administration, the recent three day sweep of 43 of the 49 pain clinics in Miami-Dade County uncovered irregularities relating to no fault insurance, including the following:

• At one clinic, an insurance company providing personal injury protection coverage was charged $19,000 for massage therapy
• Many clinic owners had no prior health care experience
• Many admitted opening clinics after learning they could make money
• Most of the clinics treated only auto accident victims
• Many clinics displayed advertisements for law firms specializing in traffic litigation
• Many employees did not have proper background checks
• Investigators witnessed only 17 patients in all of 49 clinics while there
• Employees at some clinics reported that they had never seen a patient
• At one clinic, employees said they had not seen the owner or medical director in six months

Following the investigation, the Agency will now take action to revoke the licenses of several entities. The Division of Insurance Fraud is also continuing the investigation into the connection between Florida no fault insurance fraud and pain clinics.
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