Providers
PAULA SUE WOODS, LICSW
NPI 1932750791, individual, Bemidji, MN, Social Worker, Clinical
5
Evidence tier
informational
- Medicaid dollars per patient on code 90837 ($1568 per patient-month) sit in the top 5% of every provider billing that code.
- 88% of Medicaid dollars are on codes with a history of abuse.
score 37 of 100, rank 9843, $1.2M at stake
National provider registry
From the CMS NPPES Registry, refreshed daily.
| Name | PAULA SUE WOODS, LICSW |
| Type | Individual |
| Status | Active |
| NPI issued | September 24, 2019, last updated September 30, 2019 |
| Practice location | 1741 15TH ST NW, Bemidji, MN 56601-8755, 218-751-6553 |
| Mailing address | 1925 OAK RIDGE RD SW, Bemidji, MN 56601-5834 |
| Specialties | Social Worker, Clinical (1041C0700X, primary, license 16828 MN) |
Procedures billed
The specific codes behind the dollars. Medicaid figures come from T-MSIS (2018 to 2024) and are compared with every other provider billing the same code; Medicare figures come from the 2024 physician and supplier file and compare this provider's submitted charge with what Medicare allowed, against the usual ratio for that code.
Medicaid, largest codes
| code | what it is | paid | share | per patient-month | typical | rank among providers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90837 | Psychotherapy, 1 hourhistory of abuse | $773K | 45% | $1K | $191 (top 5% from $442) | 100th percentile | |
| 90853 | Group psychotherapyhistory of abuse | $743K | 43% | $2K | $60 (top 5% from $332) | 100th percentile | |
| 90832 | Psychotherapy, 30 minutes | $117K | 7% | $856 | $59 (top 5% from $239) | 100th percentile | |
| 90834 | Psychotherapy, 45 minutes | $93K | 5% | $929 | $101 (top 5% from $318) | 100th percentile |
In this area
2 providers in Beltrami County, MN carry an indicator in the public record, with $1.7M at stake between them. The most common is more hours than a day holds, on 2 of them.
| tier | provider | at stake | why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | DEONNE WIDNER Bemidji, MN, ranked 7747 | $1.5M |
|
| 5 | PHILIP HEUER Bemidji, MN, ranked 10398 | $185K |
|
Recent enforcement in MN
All releasesDepartment of Justice and HHS-OIG releases for this state, newest first. Each opens in a new tab.
DOJOtherMay 22, 2026
This Week in Fraud: The Fraud Division Announced Expansion of Midwest Task Force and Authorization to Hire 15 New Medicaid Prosecutors, an Unprecedented Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown, and a $2 Billion Telemedicine Health Care Fraud Scheme
The Justice Department announced charges against 15 defendants for Medicaid fraud schemes totaling over $90 million in intended loss, a 10-year sentence in a $2 billion international health care fraud conspiracy in Brooklyn, and a Michigan jury conviction of a nurse who bribed a Detroit hospital nurse for confidential records used to bill Medicare in a $1.6 million scheme, along with expansion of the Health Care Fraud Midwest Strike Force and hiring of 15 additional Medicaid fraud prosecutors.
DOJChargedMay 21, 2026
Minnesota Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 15 Defendants for Over $90M in Fraud
Fifteen defendants were charged in connection with schemes involving over $90 million in intended loss against Minnesota Medicaid programs, including paying kickbacks to parents and billing for autism, Integrated Community Supports, Individualized Home Supports, Housing Stabilization Services and child care services that were not provided as represented.
DOJPleaded guiltyFeb 10, 2026
Fraud Tourists Plead Guilty to Minneapolis Medicaid Fraud
Two men set up businesses in Minneapolis, enrolled as Housing Stabilization Services providers, recruited Medicaid beneficiaries at homeless shelters and Section 8 housing, billed for services not provided, and used ChatGPT and fabricated e-mails to create fake client records when asked for documentation.
DOJChargedSep 24, 2025
First Defendant Charged in Autism Fraud Scheme
Hassan and others enrolled Smart Therapy LLC as an EIDBI autism services provider, recruited children with cash kickbacks to parents, employed unqualified behavioral technicians, and submitted inflated and fabricated Medicaid claims for services not provided, obtaining more than $14 million, while also submitting approximately $465,000 in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program claims through Feeding Our Future.
DOJCivil settlementJun 26, 2025
NUWAY Alliance Agrees to Pay $18,500,000 Settlement in Medicaid Kickbacks Scheme, False Claims Act Violations
NUWAY compensated Medicaid patients for seeking intensive outpatient treatment in violation of the federal anti-kickback statute and submitted false claims for IOP services not provided by double-billing the same period of time as distinct billable units.
Referral packet
The packet is a draft for a reviewer. It reads every public record behind this case, states what the records show with a citation for each finding, names the regulation each finding relates to, and lists the ordinary explanations to rule out first. It never asserts intent.