Timothy Spare's Online Review Report Card

MARION — A Marion psychiatrist agreed to repay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for improperly billing the agency for more than 1,100 psychotherapy sessions conducted by underqualified staff members, a BWC news release states. Dr. Joseph Spare and the Marion Independent Physicians Association, of which Spare is a member, agreed to repay BWC $150,000 to cover the overpayment and investigative costs. “Dr. Spare billed the BWC for a much higher number of services than his peers, and we took notice of that,” Steve Buehrer, BWC administrator/chief executive officer, said, according to the news release. “When people think of workers’ compensation fraud, they often picture injured workers. However, workers’ compensation fraud can and does include employers and providers. We’re committed to bringing anyone who commits fraudulent activity to justice.” The BWC’s intelligence unit detected that Spare was billing for a large number of counseling and medication management sessions. BWC received bills indicating Spare performed both services for each session, but the special investigations department’s health care provider fraud team found the counseling sessions were being performed by three of his staff members, MIPA employees who weren’t licensed to provide counseling. Spare was only checking the patients’ medication at the end of their counseling sessions. The three underqualified MIPA personnel conducted more than 1,100 psychotherapy sessions between January 2004 and August 2007. As a result of using these improperly licensed staff to perform counseling services, Spare’s office was able to see more patients per day, generating more revenue than it was entitled to receive. In response to phone messages left for Spare, his attorney, James L. Ervin Jr., sent the following email he said was a joint response by Spare and MIPA to The Marion Star: “Dr. Joseph T. Spare and the Marion Independent Physicians Association (‘MIPA’) have been and remain committed to providing the best healthcare, including mental health services, to the people of Marion, and the greater Central Ohio community. While a lawsuit was filed, Dr. Spare and MIPA have always denied any of the alleged wrongdoing. Dr. Spare and MIPA entered into an amicable settlement for a number of reasons, including the costs of litigation, avoiding a long protracted legal battle, and wanting to turn their full attention to providing quality healthcare as soon as possible. Although a settlement was reached, neither Dr. Spare nor MIPA admitted to any wrongdoing, fraud, misconduct, or liability regarding any of the claims or allegations made in the lawsuit. Dr. Spare and MIPA will continue to focus on providing the best healthcare to the Marion community in a manner that focuses on the highest quality of patient care in full compliance with all applicable rules, regulations, and laws.” Originally, the attorney general’s office sought $89,286 in repayment, said Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the office.

MARION — A Marion psychiatrist agreed to repay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation for improperly billing the agency for more than 1,100 psychotherapy sessions conducted by underqualified staff members, a BWC news release states. Dr. Joseph Spare and the Marion Independent Physicians Association, of which Spare is a member, agreed to repay BWC $150,000 to cover the overpayment and investigative costs. “Dr. Spare billed the BWC for a much higher number of services than his peers, and we took notice of that,” Steve Buehrer, BWC administrator/chief executive officer, said, according to the news release. “When people think of workers’ compensation fraud, they often picture injured workers. However, workers’ compensation fraud can and does include employers and providers. We’re committed to bringing anyone who commits fraudulent activity to justice.” The BWC’s intelligence unit detected that Spare was billing for a large number of counseling and medication management sessions. BWC received bills indicating Spare performed both services for each session, but the special investigations department’s health care provider fraud team found the counseling sessions were being performed by three of his staff members, MIPA employees who weren’t licensed to provide counseling. Spare was only checking the patients’ medication at the end of their counseling sessions. The three underqualified MIPA personnel conducted more than 1,100 psychotherapy sessions between January 2004 and August 2007. As a result of using these improperly licensed staff to perform counseling services, Spare’s office was able to see more patients per day, generating more revenue than it was entitled to receive. In response to phone messages left for Spare, his attorney, James L. Ervin Jr., sent the following email he said was a joint response by Spare and MIPA to The Marion Star: “Dr. Joseph T. Spare and the Marion Independent Physicians Association (‘MIPA’) have been and remain committed to providing the best healthcare, including mental health services, to the people of Marion, and the greater Central Ohio community. While a lawsuit was filed, Dr. Spare and MIPA have always denied any of the alleged wrongdoing. Dr. Spare and MIPA entered into an amicable settlement for a number of reasons, including the costs of litigation, avoiding a long protracted legal battle, and wanting to turn their full attention to providing quality healthcare as soon as possible. Although a settlement was reached, neither Dr. Spare nor MIPA admitted to any wrongdoing, fraud, misconduct, or liability regarding any of the claims or allegations made in the lawsuit. Dr. Spare and MIPA will continue to focus on providing the best healthcare to the Marion community in a manner that focuses on the highest quality of patient care in full compliance with all applicable rules, regulations, and laws.” Originally, the attorney general’s office sought $89,286 in repayment, said Dan Tierney, a spokesman for the office.

I saw this witch doctor back in thenlate 80s and 90s. He had me so doped up that I could barely function. It was virtually a chemical lobotomy. They herded us in by the dozen like livestock, talmed to each of us for maybe 2 minutes and wrote more prescriptions. Nothing more than drug pushers...nothing therapeutic abojt it...no progress toward getting better or healthier. I told him that I was going off of the meds and be argued that I would be on them all of my life. I took myself off off the meds and began learning better life skills and coping skills. I enrolled into college and earned a degree in psychology which Dave W at the counseling center said that I could never do. Losers!

Your students should not make promises they can’t follow thru with! Your front desk staff is very unprofessional.

MARION – A Marion psychiatrist agreed to repay the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) for improperly billing the agency for more than 1,100 psychotherapy sessions conducted by under-qualified staff members. Dr. Joseph Spare and the Marion Independent Physicians Association (MIPA), of which Spare is a member, agreed to repay BWC $150,000 to cover the overpayment and investigative costs. “Dr. Spare billed the BWC for a much higher number of services than his peers, and we took notice of that,” said BWC Administrator/CEO Steve Buehrer. “When people think of workers’ compensation fraud, they often picture injured workers. However, workers’ compensation fraud can and does include employers and providers. We’re committed to bringing anyone who commits fraudulent activity to justice.” The BWC’s Intelligence Unit detected that Spare was billing for a large number of counseling and medication management sessions. BWC received bills indicating Spare performed both services for each session, but the Special Investigations Department’s Healthcare Provider Fraud Team found the counseling sessions were actually being performed by three of his staff members, MIPA employees who weren’t licensed to provide counseling. Dr. Spare was only checking the patients’ medication at the end of their counseling sessions. The three under qualified MIPA personnel conducted more than 1,100 psychotherapy sessions between January 2004 and August 2007. As a result of using these improperly-licensed staff to perform counseling services, Spare’s office was able to see more patients per day, generating more revenue than it was entitled to receive. The matter was settled outside of court after the Ohio Attorney General’s Office filed a civil suit in Marion County Common Pleas Court; Spare and MIPA were named as defendants. BWC was fraudulently billed a total of $74,667.68. Reimbursements for the services Spare rendered were paid to MIPA.

Come here quite often with clients for work and we arrive 10-15 min early and still get stuck waiting upwards of 1.5-2 hours past the appointment time. When asked about why the wait is so long the staff were rude and threatened to make me reschedule. Very unprofessional and rude. When we finally get back to be seen we get a hi things look fine and see you in a month… after waiting almost 2 hours we get maybe 5 minutes with the dr, and that’s a generous estimation.

I am a retired nurse of over 30 years. My daughter is a patient. After 38 days of inpatient care for schizophrenia with no improvement my daughter was referred to Dr. Spare. After one week of treatment she was able to come home. She has been seeing him for 4 years and she is now able to live a normal productive life.

I have seen Dr. Spare for a number of years now. Depending on the time of day the wait can be too long at times but it's not an all the time thing. The staff is always courteous to me. Dr. Spare while he mainly does my medication management he does engage me on my anxiety and depression problems. Always asks how I am doing and how am I doing with my medication and my counselor. If I have a question he always lets me ask it and offers his opinion. He also is interested in my health as it is not very well. If I have a concern he always addresses it. My first counselor he thought would be a good fit and we did not gel well and I talked to him about it and he agreed she was not correct for me and he put me with someone who understood my issues very very well. I've been with her for years now as well. I had bad medicine reactions and that is a problem for me in general so Dr. Spare DNA swabbed me and it showed I was very limited in what my body could metabolize. He has always took the time to understand where I am at in my head and every visit leaves me with a parting tip. I myself have had a very good experience with Dr. Spare especially when other physicians didn't take my physical health issues serious because I have mental health issues Dr. Spare has been in my corner when I needed someone there and so has his counselor. I am grateful he took me on as a patient and has been 'patient" himself with me and how complex my issues are.

Overcharged 1100 patients and settled with BWC for 150,000. Public record.

Overcharged 1100 patients and settled fraud case with BWC for 150,000. Public record.