In 2018, federal prosecutors filed a False Claims Act complaint in the U.S. District Court in Atlanta against Charles C. Adams, M.D.; Charles C. Adams, M.D., P.C. d/b/a Full Circle Medical Center and Personal Integrative Medicine PLLC in Ringgold, Georgia [1]. The complaint alleged that Adams and/or his companies:
- Submitted hundreds of false claims to Medicare for chelation therapy with edetate calcium disodium, a drug approved for treating lead poisoning, to treat Medicare beneficiaries who did not have lead poisoning.
- Used the results of widely discredited “provoked” urine tests to tell patients that they had “heightened” levels of heavy metal that chelation could reduce, thereby alleviating medical problems such as high blood pressure, poor circulation, and premature aging, even though Medicare doesn’t cover such uses.
Edetate calcium disodium has a black box warning that it is “capable of producing toxic effects that can be fatal.” [2] The complaint stated that “provoked urine tests are unreliable, potentially dangerous, and should not be utilized in diagnosing heavy metal poisoning.”
At least ten state licensing boards, including Georgia’s board, have taken regulatory action against doctors who have used provoked testing as a prelude to chelation [3]. No disciplinary action has been taken against Adams, but his physician profile at Georgia’s Composite State Board of Medical Examiners indicates that he settled a medical malpractice case in 2008 for $450,000 and another in 2010 for $237,500. His profile lists his specialty as internal medicine, but he is not board-certified.
In 2016, Adams announced that he had engaged a billing service that has figured out “how to legally ethically, and non-fraudulently bill and be reimbursed” for chelation and other in-office IV therapies [4]. But it looks like the outcome was improper.
In 2017, Adams was president of the International College of Integrative Medicine, a nonprofit group that features “affordable introduction and advanced training in heavy metal toxicology and chelation therapy.” He became certified in Integrative and Holistic Medicine in 2011 by the Board of Integrative and Holistic Medicine, but neither this board nor such a specialty are recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, which is the standard-setting agency for the scientific medical community.
In June 2023, following a seven-day trial, a federal jury concluded that Adams and his clinic had violated the False Claims Act by submitting more than 4,400 false claims to Medicare for chelation therapy reimbursements. The jury awarded more than $1.1 million in damages. These damages can be tripled under the FCA, which also requires a civil penalty to be imposed for each claim before the final verdict is entered [5]. In August 2023, the court ordered Adams and his medical practice to pay $27,567,739 to the federal government [6].
Court Documents
Here the the key documents from the False Claims Act case:
| Date | # | Document |
| 08/27/18 | 01 | Complaint |
| 11/28/18 | 13 | Defendants’ motion to dismiss |
| 02/19/19 | 23 | United States’ brief in opposition to defendant’s motion to dismiss |
| 03/05/19 | 24 | Reply in support of defendants’ motion to dismiss |
| 03/08/19 | 25 | Order denying motion to dismiss |
| 05/16/22 | 148 | Order denying motion to dismiss |
| 09/19/22 | 173 | Notice of supplemental authority (Burkich ruling) |
| 09/23/22 | 176 | Amended complaint (with minor changes to original) |
| 11/28/22 | 181 | Order on motions to dismiss experts |
| 05/14/23 | 238 | The jury’s findings |
| 08/25/23 | 264 | Judge orders Adams to pay $27,567,739 |
References
- The United States files False Claims Act complaint against Charles C. Adams, M.D., and affiliated entities. USAO press release. Aug. 31, 2018.
- Calcium disodium versenate. 3M Pharmaceuticals package insert, July 2004.
- Barrett S. How “provoked” urine metal tests are used to mislead patients. Quackwatch, Nov 23, 2018.
- Adams C. Medicare pays for chelation in-office IVs. Complementary Health Education Organization Web site, archived Dec 25, 2016.
- Rome jury finds Dr. Charles Adams and full circle medical center liable for False Claims Act violations. USAO press release, June 16, 2023.
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Georgia doctor ordered to pay $27 million for submitting false claims to Medicare. USAO press release, Oct 12, 2023.
