The Attorney General’s Office announced that licensed psychotherapist Robert Martin DuWors, Ph.D., 71, of Cotuit, Massachusetts, was arraigned today on three felony counts of Medicaid fraud. The charges against Dr. DuWors result from an investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Residential Abuse Unit (MFRAU). The investigation revealed that Dr. DuWors allowed an unlicensed associate to practice psychotherapy on his patients while billing Vermont Medicaid for that time at a licensed clinical full rate. Additionally, Dr. DuWors routinely billed Vermont Medicaid for "impossible time," claiming to have personally provided more than 24 hours of Medicaid service on a single date.
Dr. DuWors pleaded not guilty at the arraignment today in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Criminal Division. The court, with Judge Michael J. Harris presiding, ordered conditions of release requiring Dr. DuWors to maintain contact with the court and counsel, attend all further proceedings, and provide fingerprint identification within 21 days.
The Attorney General’s Office previously announced in June that it had filed a civil enforcement action against Dr. DuWors, his associate, and his corporate practice for defrauding Vermont Medicaid. The civil lawsuit is currently pending in Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Civil Division, and alleges violations of the Vermont False Claims Act.
The Attorney General’s Office emphasizes that individuals charged with a crime are legally presumed innocent until their guilt is proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If you suspect someone of abusing the Vermont Medicaid program, please contact MFRAU at https://ago.vermont.gov/medicaid-fraud-report-form.
MFRAU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $1,229,616 for Federal fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $409,870 for FFY 2024, is funded by the State of Vermont.