HomeDanish Crime NewsDanish Anesthesiologist Accused of Overbilling Regions Faces Trial in Helsingør

Danish Anesthesiologist Accused of Overbilling Regions Faces Trial in Helsingør

A 69-year-old anesthesiologist appeared in Helsingør City Court (Helsingør Byret) on Tuesday, facing accusations of incorrectly billing the Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden), the Region of Zealand (Region Sjælland), and the North Denmark Region (Region Nordjylland) for over nine years. The case involves Stig Lee Dahm, who, according to the indictment, systematically reported incorrect amounts for his services, resulting in a total unjustified payment of approximately 9.5 million Danish kroner (about $1.4 million).

Dahm, who has worked in the healthcare system for many years, explained that the repeated errors in billing were due to a misunderstanding of the agreement governing specialists’ compensation (overenskomst). “I misunderstood the agreement and billed based on time,” he stated in court, while responding to the allegations dressed in a gray jacket and a white shirt. According to the anesthesiologist, he believed that fees should be calculated based on time spent, whereas the agreement actually required specific billing depending on the type of procedure performed.

The prosecution claims that Dahm submitted incorrect amounts in no less than 7,203 instances from January 2011 to January 2020, leading to significantly higher expenses for the regions. When assisting ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists in anesthetizing patients, he was required to adhere to specific billing rules, which he claims he was not sufficiently familiar with.

In 2019, the North Denmark Region began to suspect that something was amiss after discovering that the doctor was charging excessive fees. The region quickly demanded the repayment of 663,000 kroner for the period from November 2016 to July 2017, which was 75 percent more than the correct amount.

Dahm’s initial reaction to the region’s demand was to acknowledge the erroneous invoices and apologize. “I acknowledge the invoiced amounts and sincerely apologize for the incorrect bills,” he wrote in an email to the region in November 2019. In court, he explained that his top priority was to clear up the misunderstandings as best as possible. However, criticism was raised when it was revealed that he had already requested permission to use a special billing method in 2003, which allegedly contradicts his claim of not being aware of the rules.

Special prosecutor Benthe Pedersen Lund is now demanding that Dahm repay the improperly received amounts and is also seeking a prison sentence for the doctor. The court has set aside a total of eight days to review the extensive evidence in this case, which is considered the largest of its kind in the Danish healthcare system.

The doctor pleads not guilty to all charges and maintains that the erroneous invoices were solely due to a misunderstanding of the regulations. It is now up to the court to determine whether Dahm’s explanations can hold up against the evidence presented by the prosecution.

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