Dr. Gary Royce Wisner, 61, of Lodi, was arraigned at the San Joaquin County Superior Court on 11 felony counts of insurance fraud for bilking insurers out of more than $700,000 for allegedly providing unnecessary and excessive medical treatment for orthopedic patients.

Wisner did not enter a plea and the case has been continued until June 26 th , for further arraignment.

Wisner, is a board certified orthopedic surgeon in Lodi, California. He is currently licensed to practice medicine in California, Alabama, and Nevada. He claims to be affiliated with Adventist Health Lodi Memorial, St. Joseph’s Medical Center, and Dameron Hospital. He is a graduate of Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara Medical School.

“Dr. Wisner violated his Hippocratic Oath when he allegedly abused his patients and the workers’ compensation system to line his pockets with illegal profits,” said Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. “When medical providers scam the system, everybody loses, including the injured workers, their employers and consumers when the losses are passed along to them through higher prices for goods and services.”

The California Department of Insurance, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, the California Department of Justice Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse, and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services launched a multi-agency investigation, which revealed Dr. Wisner was providing unnecessary treatments, including exposing his patients to excessive X-rays – all for the purpose of committing insurance fraud. Dr. Wisner’s fraud resulted in a loss of over $700,000 to four insurers including State Compensation Insurance Fund, Zenith Insurance, Hartford and Tristar, the federal insurance system.

Health insurance fraud is a multi-billion dollar drain on California’s economy and results in higher insurance premiums for business and consumers. Over the last two years, the Department of Insurance has made arrests in health care fraud cases totaling more than $2 billion dollars.

On May 30, 2018, a San Joaquin County criminal grand jury indicted Dr. Wisner on 11 felony counts of insurance fraud. The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting this case. The grand jury indictment will not be publicly available until 10 days after its receipt by the defendant.

The California Medical Board reports his license to be current and active with no record of disciplinary actions.