OVIEDO, Fla. — A local man paid nearly $16,000 for medical treatment up front only to have the clinic suddenly close. Action 9 has investigated this clinic, Exodus Medical, in the past and learned the doctor who ran the office had some legal and financial trouble before the office closed.
Seeking treatment for numbness in his feet, Albert Brien was looking for a specialist when he came across Exodus Medical in Oviedo. The office is located just a short drive from his home.
Brien told Action 9, “And they said, ‘Yeah, you know, we can help you out.’”
They came up with a treatment plan and sold him on devices he could use at home.
Albert Brien showed the Action 9 team some of the devices as he described them. “It sends little shocks through your feet,” he said holding one of them up. “I was using it every night and in the morning,” he added.
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He initially signed an agreement to finance the treatment, but then decided to pay the nearly $16,000 up front. Even after paying all of that money in advance, he only received treatment for about a month before the clinic closed. He learned about it when he showed up for an appointment and found the doors locked. The office had stopped answering the phone and he said everyone disappeared without notice.
Caitlin Donovan with the National Patient Advocate Foundation warns big up-front fees for future medical treatments should raise a red flag.
Donovan said, “Usually, you should always stay within your insurance. If you have to pay money up front, shop around for that care.”
She noted in a case like this, seeking legal help might be a good option.
“Always be proactive in your care. Take your own notes, keep copies of everything, and do this as you go along so that you’re not in a panic if the worst-case scenario happens,” Donovan suggested.
Action 9 first launched investigations into Exodus Medical starting in 2021.
In a 2022 case, patient Richard Kaminski complained after trying to cancel a $20,000 medical loan for Exodus Medical treatments.
“You know they suckered me,” Kaminski said at that time.
Since then, the state health department filed a complaint against clinic owner and licensed chiropractor Dr. Robert Abraham. The complaint alleged several violations when dealing with an 87-year-old patient. The alleged violations included prescribing medical oxygen, which chiropractors aren’t authorized to do and accepting advance payment of more than $1500, which is also a violation of state law for chiropractors. Dr. Abraham didn’t deny the allegations and agreed to a settlement with the state that included a fine.
He was also sued by a local couple who paid $16,000 up front. The suit referred to the care as “pseudo-scientific and sham treatments.” It claimed the couple cancelled after learning Dr. Abraham planned to do stem cell injections not approved by the FDA for back pain that one of patients was having and that Dr. Abraham wasn’t even qualified to do stem cell treatments. He also reached a settlement in that case and agreed to pay $45,000.
Now Albert Brien is left frustrated by spending thousands of dollars and didn’t get all of the treatment.
Brien said, “Well, I tell you what, I never thought the doctor would do that to somebody, you know?”
When the Action 9 team stopped at the office in Oviedo, it was all locked up and no one from the company could be reached by phone either. The landlord for the plaza where the office is located has sued Dr. Abraham and his wife alleging, they owe tens of thousands of dollars in rent and other fees.
To file a complaint against a medical practitioner in Florida, click on the this link: Florida Department of Health.
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