Provider Fraud

April 16, 2014

CRC Health Corp., a nationwide provider of substance abuse and mental health treatment services, agreed to pay $9.25 million to settle allegations that CRC violated the False Claims Act by providing substandard treatment in its Tennessee facility to adult and adolescent Medicaid patients suffering from alcohol and drug addiction.  The allegations were first raised in a qui tam lawsuit filed by Angie Cederoth, a former billing clerk in the CRC facility, under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  She will receive a whistleblower award of$1.5 million.  DOJ

April 14, 2014

Hope Cancer Institute, a cancer treatment facility in Kansas, and its owner Dr. Raj Sadasivan, agreed to pay $2.9M to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program for chemotherapy drugs and services not actually provided.  The allegations were first raised in a qui tam lawsuit filed by former employees of the facility Krisha Turner, Crystal Dercher and Amanda Reynolds under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act.  DOJ

March 18, 2014

American Family Care Inc., a network of walk-in medical clinics with offices in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, agreed to pay $1.2M to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that it knowingly submitted claims to Medicare for outpatient office visits that were billed at a higher rate than was appropriate.  The settlement resolves a qui tam lawsuit filed by Anita C. Salters, a former employee of American Family Care under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  DOJ

January 5, 2014

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that Apple Transportation of New York, Inc. will pay $300,000 to settle claims it overbilled Medicaid for transportation services. As part of a settlement agreement, Apple Transportation admitted that between January 1, 2004 and October 30, 2008, it frequently billed Medicaid for ambulette services even though no personal assistance was provided to Medicaid recipients. As a result, Apple was paid by Medicaid for ambulette services at rates that were higher than the applicable livery rates. NY