The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently issued an unfavorable Advisory Opinion (No. 25‑12) addressing a home health care agency’s proposal to offer sign‑on bonuses to prospective employees who are in a position to refer patients (usually family members) to the employer for home care. The
Mental Health Clinic Sues Kaiser over Termination of Participation Agreement
Westside Behavioral Care Inc., a Colorado mental health clinic, recently sued Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Colorado for prematurely terminating its participation agreement. Kaiser terminated the agreement in an effort to increase the provision of services through a less costly telehealth model.
The clinic is alleging that the early termination disrupted care for more than
Long Island Doctor Charged with Grand Larceny for Benefits Scam
The Nassau County District Attorney recently charged Joseph Golyan, a Great Neck gastroenterologist, with collecting Social Security and other government benefits over a four-year period, while simultaneously billing Medicare for care he was providing to Medicare beneficiaries. He allegedly collected over $100,000 in disability benefits, while billing Medicare over $700,000, during the relevant period. The
OIG Audit of MACs Finds Deficiencies
The 12 regional Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) were recently audited by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG). Each of the MAC jurisdictions was found by the OIG to have failed to meet Medicare cost report oversight requirements in at least one year during the 2019-2021 fiscal years under
Lab Operator Convicted in Drug-Testing Scheme
Conspiracies to rip off the Medicare system are prevalent due to the vast amounts of money flowing through the program. On February 25, Sherif Khalil of Redondo Beach, California man was convicted by a federal jury in Detroit for stealing $4 million from the Medicare program.
Khalil conspired with others to generate orders for medically
Provider and Beneficiaries Conspired to Defraud Louisiana’s Medicaid Program
Healthcare fraud is prevalent within state Medicaid programs due to the massive amounts of money flowing through the system. In Louisiana, the Estate of Yolanda Burnom and her former company, Community Healthcare Solutions, LLC, recently agreed to pay $4.6 million to settle a False Claims Act lawsuit.
The allegations included providing incentives to Medicaid beneficiaries
Online DME Company Billed Insurers for Unnecessary Medical Supplies
DMERx, an online DME platform, served as the basis for a massive fraud against Medicare and other insurers. Gregory Schreck, a Kansas man who was the vice president of DMERx, orchestrated a sophisticated fraud scheme to bill Medicare and other insurers over $1 billion, resulting in payments of over $350 million. The scheme used DMERx’s
Drug Testing Lab to Pay $27 Million to Resolve FCA Claims
One of the nation’s largest urine drug testing laboratories recently settled with the federal government by paying $27 million to resolve alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and state statutes. Precision Toxicology (d/b/a Precision Diagnostics), headquartered in San Diego, allegedly provided medically unnecessary urine drug testing and offered free items to physicians
Know When to Bill Facility Fee for Telehealth Services!
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut recently announced that Supportive Care Holdings, LLC and its related companies agreed to pay the federal government nearly $4,600,000 to resolve allegations of submitting false claims. The Supportive Care companies provide behavioral health services via telehealth to patients residing in skilled nursing facilities.
Supportive Care’s companies
NY Nursing Home Settles Fraud Suit
On March 4, the New York Attorney General announced an $8.6 million settlement with Fulton Commons Care Center, a nursing home located in East Meadow, NY. The settlement resolves an action brought against Fulton in 2022 claiming financial fraud, physical abuse, mistreatment of residents, and covering up resident complaints.
The AG had previously sued the