Home Health and Hospice
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December 9, 2022
White Glove Community Care, Inc., a home health agency in Brooklyn, has agreed to pay $1.2 million to the New York Medicaid program and return $2 million in unpaid wages to current and former employees, following a whistleblower’s lawsuit under the state and federal False Claims Acts. A joint investigation by the NY AG and EDNY found that between 2012 and 2018, White Glove failed to pay its home health and personal care aides wages and benefits owed to them under the state’s Wage Parity Act, yet sought and received funds from the state’s Medicaid program for the full wages and benefits owed. AG NY; USAO EDNYOctober 14, 2022
The owners of two Texas-based home health clinics have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each after a jury convicted them of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud. Alfred Olotin Alatan, who owned Colony Home Health Services, and Francis Ekene, who owned Milten Medical Clinic, allegedly paid recruiters for patient information, then billed providers for home health services, regardless of need. Co-conspirators Susana Bermudez and Rita Kpotie Smith, both of whom operated the clinics under Alatan’s direction, are currently serving 2.5 years and 5 years in prison, respectively. USAO SDTXSeptember 30, 2022
The owners and operators of three home health care companies in Illinois, Patricia and Felix Omorogbe, have been sentenced to a combined 3.5 years in prison and ordered to pay a combined $8 million in restitution for paying illegal kickbacks to patient marketers in exchange for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries. According to the DOJ, in addition to the kickbacks, Patricia Omorogbe, a registered nurse, also falsely certified that she performed assessments on patients, causing false claims to be submitted to Medicare. DOJAugust 10, 2022
American Senior Communities, L.L.C., will pay over $5.5 million for violating the False Claims Act by charging Medicare directly for hospice services that should have already been covered by the beneficiaries’ Medicare hospice coverage. The fraudulent billing practice was exposed in a whistleblower complaint filed by a former employee of a hospice services provider that worked with ASC. The whistleblower is entitled to receive between 15 and 25% of the recovery. USAO SDINMay 5, 2022
SHC Home Health Services of Florida, LLC, a/k/a Signature HomeNow paid $2.1 million for False Claims Act violations. Between 2013 and 2017, Signature HomeNow submitted false Medicare claims for home health services to patients who either were not homebound, did not require certain skilled care, did not have a valid or appropriate plan of care in place, and/or didn’t have the requisite face-to-face encounters for appropriate certification. USAO WDKY; USAO SDFLMarch 25, 2022
Two New York-based home health agencies, All American Homecare Agency and Crown of Life Care NY LLC, have agreed to pay a total of $5.4 million to settle allegations of violating federal and state False Claims Acts. The agencies had allegedly paid their home health aides below minimum wage, despite claiming otherwise and receiving millions for said wages from Medicaid. In addition to the monetary penalties, the agencies will also pay back wages owed to current and former aides. NY AG; USAO EDNYFebruary 18, 2022
Muhammad Ateeq, of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $50 million in restitution for forfeiture for submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare for home health services. Ateeq acquired and managed home health agencies in the United States, using false identities. He then used these home health agencies to submit fraudulent Medicare claims totaling over $40 million for services not rendered. The ill-gotten gains were laundered through U.S. bank accounts designated by overseas customers of overseas money transmitting businesses. Cash payments were then transmitted to accounts in Pakistan which Ateeq controlled. Fraud proceeds were also used to purchase luxury items which were delivered to Ateeq’s Dubai associates. DOJCatch of the Week: Texas Hospice CEO Gets 13 Year Sentence in $60 Million Fraud Scheme
Posted 01/28/22
Top Ten Financial and Healthcare Fraud Prison Sentences of 2021
Posted 01/28/22
