Lewiston weight loss surgeon agrees to settlement after prescribing 'not medically necessary' braces
Jun. 21—LEWISTON — A weight loss surgeon has agreed to pay more than $629,000 after being accused by the federal government of violating the federal false claim act.
Jamie Loggins, who served for years as medical director of bariatric surgery at Central Maine Medical Center, was accused of prescribing orthotic braces "that were not medically necessary to individuals with whom he had no valid prescriber-patient relationship," according to information from the U.S. District Court in Portland.
An orthotic brace is described in medical literature as a musculoskeletal device "that may provide additional support for your joints or feet to alleviate pain, support healing, or prevent injury."
According to a news release, Loggins cooperated with the investigation and did not admit liability in the settlement agreement.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, "from September 2018 through November 2022, Loggins caused claims to be submitted to Medicare for payment for medical services that were not reasonably medically necessary or for which medical necessity could not be determined. More specifically, the government alleges that Loggins worked with a telemedicine company to provide telemedicine consultations and consultation services.
"As part of those services," the release continues, "Loggins would review prepared intake forms, which included purported complaint information for a beneficiary and prepared prescriptions for orthotic braces. Frequently, the intake forms included multiple complaints and prescriptions for orthotic braces for each individual beneficiary."
The government charged that Loggins would then electronically sign these prescriptions, despite there being no valid prescriber-patient relationship and no medical necessity for the claims.
Loggins, a former U.S. Army surgeon, was a popular weight loss specialist in the Lewiston area, so popular that the wife of former Gov. Paul LePage chose him to perform a weight loss operation at CMMC in late 2016. At the time, Gov. LePage deemed Loggins "one of the best in the country."
A year after the procedure, Ann LePage was reportedly down 60 pounds.
Loggins at one time was also well-known in the Lewiston-Auburn area for the elaborate Christmas light show at his home on Vista Drive in Auburn. The expansive light show eventually became so popular that it caused traffic problems in the area and Loggins had to downgrade his decorations.
Loggins, described as a "minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon," began his work at CMMC in 2006. His status at the hospital could not be determined Friday afternoon. A Central Maine Medical Center spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before beginning his work at the hospital, Loggins completed a fellowship in minimally invasive and robotic surgery at the University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, he earned his medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.
After his graduation from medical school, Loggins served in the U.S. Army, first as a surgical intern at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, and later as a troop medical clinic officer in charge at Fort Carson, Colorado.
The Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine shows no prior disciplinary action taken against Loggins in this state or others.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General investigated the case against him.
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