Michael Kestner, of Nashville, Tennessee, was convicted for healthcare fraud for billing approximately $35 million for medically unnecessary injections, which were administered over the course of approximately eight years. Kestner owned and operated pain clinics in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, which were branded under the name Pain MD. Kestner, who is not a physician, pressured nurse practitioners and physician assistants employed by clinics in the Pain MD network to provide multiple back injections to many, if not most, patients who came to the clinics seeking opioid treatment. Patients who refused to accept regular injections risked being turned away and suffering withdrawals from their opioid medication. Kestner is scheduled for sentencing in February 2025. This case was investigated by the VA OIG, HHS OIG, Department of Defense OIG’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
