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State closes Medford imaging clinic AG labels the Laser and Thermal Imaging Center 'medical impostors' for falsifying effectiveness of cancer detection procedure MEDFORD — Calling them "medical impostors," Oregon Attorney General John Kroger on Friday shut down the Laser and Thermal Imaging Center in Medford and required the owners to pay at least $20,000 for consumer education and protection, including nearly $800 in restitution to patients, as part of a settlement agreement. Comment By john darling MailTribune.com By john darling Posted Apr. 4, 2009 at 12:01 AM By john darling Posted Apr. 4, 2009 at 12:01 AM » Social News MEDFORD — Calling them "medical impostors," Oregon Attorney General John Kroger on Friday shut down the Laser and Thermal Imaging Center in Medford and required the owners to pay at least $20,000 for consumer education and protection, including nearly $800 in restitution to patients, as part of a settlement agreement. Kroger said the clinic at 115 Stewart Ave., Suite 201, endangered women by misrepresenting a breast-cancer detection procedure. "Putting the lives of women at risk is unconscionable," said Kroger in a news release. "Given the lethal consequences of delaying detection of such a deadly cancer, I am giving medical impostors fair notice that these types of misrepresentations will not be tolerated." Named as owners were Mary Anne Crandall and James Crandall, both of Ashland, and Tom Crandall of Medford. Kroger accused Mary Anne Crandall of falsely claiming to be licensed as a registered nurse, a chiropractor, a medical doctor and a naturopath. Kroger said the clinic claimed its thermography could detect breast cancer seven to 10 years before other diagnostic procedures (by inference including mammography), when, in fact, studies have repudiated thermography as a stand-alone breast cancer detector. Thermography uses digital infrared imaging to record temperature and vascular changes in the breast and surrounding tissue with the idea that metabolic activity and vascular circulation is greater in pre-cancerous and cancerous tissues. Kroger said medical sources agree that mammography, interpreted by a medical doctor, is the procedure to screen for breast cancer. The agreement requires the Crandalls to warn women who got thermographic imaging at the clinic to get a mammogram, rather than rely on the clinic's thermography testing, Kroger said. The agreement is a settlement and does not constitute a penalty, forfeiture or punishment. Mary Anne Crandall, in a phone interview, called the settlement "totally unfair," adding, "We felt they were not justified in their decision. We felt it was a wrong decision. A lot of people will know this isn't the way it is." Tom Crandall said the center used thermal imaging but was not a diagnostic center. "We are not frauds or imposters and that's all there is to it," he said. The agreement, called an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, ordered the clinic to pay $35,782 to the Department of Justice, which includes restitution of $352 to Kai Graff of Medford and $430 to Theresa Kelly of Eagle Point, with $19,217 of the amount going to a Consumer Protection and Education Revolving Account. The remaining $15,782 will be suspended if the Crandalls follow the conditions of the agreement. The settlement, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, requires the Crandalls to close the clinic and never provide thermography or laser services or represent themselves as health-care providers unless licensed by the state. In a statement to the media, Tom Crandall wrote, "We entered into the AVC to settle disputed matters. Put plainly, we disagreed with the attorney general's allegations. Nevertheless, because the state made it clear that they wanted us to cease doing business in Oregon, we made a decision to enter into a settlement with the DOJ and to put the matter behind us, thereby allowing us to refocus our efforts outside the state of Oregon. We are simply not imposters!" Kroger in his press release accused the clinic of engaging in fraudulent billing practices, "charging patients up front for experimental procedures with the promise of reimbursement payments that insurance companies would seldom make. The clinic operators sometimes altered billing codes to obtain unwarranted reimbursement from insurers." Graff, 81, said she sought help for arthritic knees at the center but received no relief from her pain. "They said it was covered by Medicare and the Attorney General's Office told me it wasn't. They (the clinic) lied to me. There's nothing worse than a liar and a thief." Another former client of the clinic, Alice Anderson of Medford, said she sought thermography at the clinic because it's widely recognized as a valid screening tool, especially when used in conjunction with mammography. "They were very professional, had high standards and the process is used in all 49 other states," she said. The clinic also went by the names Mountain Top Medical and Therapeutic Laser Centers. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. By john darling MailTribune.com By john darling Posted Apr. 4, 2009 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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