Houston Area Anesthesiologist Barred from Texas WC Cases
On March 5, 2021 Commissioner of Workers’ Compensation Cassie Brown published a consent order that outlined disciplinary action against Friendswood anesthesiologist Jerry M. Keepers, M.D. The Commissioner ordered that DR. Keepers must:
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- not participate in treating, examining, or consulting with other physicians regarding the treatment of injured employees who are covered under the Texas workers’ compensation system;
- not receive direct or indirect remuneration from the Texas workers’ compensation system for any role related to the treatment of injured employees;
- not accept any new injured employees within the Texas workers’ compensation system as patients; and
- transfer the care and treatment of any existing injured employee patients to other health care providers within 30 days from the date of this order.
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The disciplinary action appears to have arisen out of the medical quality review process. The Division charged Dr. Keepers with making unnecessary referrals, failing to file medical records in the form and manner required by DWC, submitting inaccurate or deficient reports due to inappropriate or unreasonable evaluations, and failing to apply DWC treatment guidelines.
In resolving the case through the consent order process, Dr. Keepers neither admitted nor denied the allegations and information in the consent order. He did not, however, contest the entry of the Commissioner’s order. The order recites that it was entered in to in order to compromise and to avoid the costs of litigation and further expenditure of resources in the matter.
Carriers should review their claims for bills received from Dr. Keepers to determine whether the services rendered were performed before or after the date of the consent order. They should also monitor their files on a continuing basis to assure Dr. Keepers is not treating an injured worker in the Texas workers’ compensation system. Services that carriers may have paid for and which were performed after the date of the consent order may be entitled to reimbursement. If you believe you are so entitled, please contact Steve Tipton, James Sheffield or Bobby Stokes to discuss your reimbursement options.
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