February 23, 2018
Maine-based North East Mobile Health Services agreed to pay $825,000 to settle claims it violated the False Claims Act by providing medically unnecessary ambulance transportation. Maine Medical Center also agreed to pay $600,000 pursuant to a separate civil settlement. According to the government, North East improperly billed Medicare for ambulance transports of patients it falsely claimed were either “bed-confined” or for whom such transport was otherwise medically necessary. The government further alleged that MMC personnel provided North East with statements containing incomplete or inaccurate information about the medical necessity of transporting patients by ambulance, which North East thereafter used to bill Medicare. DOJ (ME)
Tagged in: Ambulance, FCA Federal, Lack of Medical Necessity,