Thief River Falls Chiropractor Sent to Prison Defrauding Insurance Companies

Wiseth billed insurance companies more than three-million dollars for treatments that were not provided or overbilled.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. (KFGO) – A chiropractor from Thief River Falls will spend more than two years in federal prison for wire fraud.

Richard Wiseth, 36, pleaded guilty to defrauding health insurers by submitting false and fraudulent claims for chiropractic services.

Prosecutors say Wiseth billed insurance companies more than three-million dollars for treatments that were not provided or overbilled from March 2013 through April 2015. Insurers paid Wiseth and his company Health Quest more than one-point-one-million dollars. He was also ordered to pay 337-thousand dollars in restitution. Health Quest closed several years ago in Thief River Falls, but it continued to operate in Grand Forks.

Wiseth voluntarily surrendered his Minnesota chiropractic license in 2017, according to the Minnesota Board of Chiropractic Examiners website. As part of that agreement, Wiseth would be able to reapply for reinstatement of his Minnesota license three years later if he met several conditions. He was also required to notify the board if he practiced chiropractic care in another state.

According to court documents, Wiseth held a grand opening event on March 28, 2013, when his office moved to another location in Thief River Falls. He then submitted bills to insurance companies, indicating he had treated 178 patients that day and provided nearly 600 services.

On Feb. 13, 2014, Wiseth held a promotional event at Health Quest. Wiseth submitted bills to insurance companies, indicating he had treated more than 200 patients that day and provided 641 services.