BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A Northwest Bakersfield doctor and OBGYN was arrested on over 30 felony charges of making false claims for health benefits but has since bailed out, according to jail records.
Jason Paul Helliwell, M.D's, who's office is located on Brimhall and Coffee Roads is currently on probation for gross negligence and sexual misconduct, according to the California Medical Board.
According to court documents, in 2013 the California Department of Insurance received Suspected Fraudulent Referral Forms from two insurance companies alleging billing fraud on behalf of Dr. Helliwell. While assisting CDI with this investigation, KCDA Bureau of investigations learned that Helliwell was involved in at least two additional fraudulent schemes.
Documents say the first involved an in-house blood allergy testing machine wherein former employees reported Dr. Helliwell was ordering frequent, and likely unnecessary, allergy tests on patients that had no complaint of allergy symptoms. The second involved an agreement between Dr. Helliwell and toxicology lab where in Dr. Helliwell subjected his patients to other unnecessary lab testing.
According to documents, a former employee reported that Dr. Helliwell became involved in a kickback scheme with a representative from a toxicology lab in which he was supposed to receive $20-25 per patient who agreed to the test.
In July of 2018, the board put Helliwell on 42 months of probation with various terms and conditions following several breast augmentations and a liposuction procedure between 2011 and 2014.
