African American-owned medical clinic sues Optum Maryland for million-dollar discrimination scheme

BOWIE, Maryland - Justly Prudent announced the filing of a lawsuit against Optum Maryland on behalf of Choice Pain & Rehabilitation Center, LLC, Maryland's largest African American-owned pain management practice, alleging that the healthcare claims administrator wrongfully denied over $1 million in valid reimbursement claims while simultaneously approving identical claims from White-owned competitors.

The complaint, filed in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, details how Optum Maryland abruptly began rejecting Choice Pain's claims in January 2022 after years of routine approvals, devastating the minority-owned practice with no legitimate explanation. Despite repeated inquiries from Choice Pain's doctors and administrators, Optum stonewalled the practice for months, ultimately forcing layoffs of a dozen employees, substantial high-interest loans, and the abandonment of several provider relationships.

"The evidence in this case reveals a disturbing pattern of disparate treatment," said Jordan D. Howlette, Managing Attorney at Justly Prudent. "While Choice Pain's claims were systematically denied, Optum Maryland continued approving identical claims submitted by White-owned facilities using the same billing codes and practices. When finally confronted with evidence of this discrimination in late 2022, Optum Maryland casually admitted the claims should have been paid all along."

The complaint alleges that Choice Pain's ownership by two African American physicians, Dr. Chukwuma Onyewu and Dr. Tristan Shockley, was the only meaningful difference between it and the non-minority owned providers whose claims Optum continued to approve. Among other injuries, Choice Pain's revenue losses of over $1 million forced the clinic to take out high-interest loans, lay off staff, and cut essential services to Maryland's most vulnerable populations.

This case joins a growing number of discrimination lawsuits against Optum Maryland, including recent filings by Healthcare Living for Families Inc. and Omnis Health Life, LLC, suggesting a troubling pattern of discrimination affecting minority-owned healthcare providers throughout Maryland's Medicaid system.

The case is Choice Pain & Rehabilitation Center, LLC v. United Behavioral Health, Inc. (Case No. C-16-CV-25-001733), filed in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland.