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Prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida recently announced charges in two investigations of alleged kickbacks for home health referrals. Those charged where among more than 50 defendants in health care fraud cases in the district in the last six weeks, according to a news release. “South Florida is ground zero for health care fraud. […]
To help struggling businesses needing immediate access to cash during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress introduced the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in 2020. Some companies, however, didn’t use the PPP loan funds as Congress intended. Because of a broad range of associated fraud, the […]
A Burbank, Calif., home health agency owner is accused of misappropriating nearly $230,000 in federal assistance granted to businesses during the pandemic, according to a U.S. Department of Justice release Wednesday, May 26. Petros Hannesyan, 36, owner of Hollywood Home Health Services in Los Angeles, was charged with theft of government property and wire fraud. […]
A payroll company in upstate New York suddenly shuttered in September, leaving some home care companies and their staff scrambling, according to an article from Spectrum News. The company, MyPayrollHR, had 4,000 clients, among them home care company Visiting Angels. When the payroll company shut down, a financial services company that worked with MyPayrollHR started […]
A New Jersey local official has admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for referring patients who needed home health care aides. Myrtha Nicolas, 61, of Jersey City, N.J., pleaded guilty to one count of extortion under color of official right, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey. According to a release from […]
The OIG reports that Medicare improperly paid $1.9 million to ambulance providers for transport from hospitals to SNFs from 2014 to 2016. As a result of this former study, the OIG released an updated report on September 11 regarding hospital-to-SNF transfer billing practices. The OIG audited 99 ambulance providers from 2015 to 2017 and found […]
A patient recruiter was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks and three counts of receipt of health care kickbacks, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Between 2009 and 2017, Dominic Trumbo, 45, of Lexington, Ky., owner of Trumbo Consulting Agency, participated in an illegal kickback […]
In a July report, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) revisited its top 25 unimplemented recommendations for reducing fraud, waste and abuse. Several of the recommendations involve home health, hospice or personal care services. The OIG recommends the implementation of a statutory mandate requiring surety bonds for home health […]
A former Mississippi hospice owner Charline Brandon has pleaded guilty to making fraudulent hospice claims. Brandon acknowledged submitting nearly $12 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and nearly $3 million to Medicaid while she was running Haven Hospice, North Haven Hospice, Lion Hospice and North Lion Hospice. A 2017 indictment alleged she was engaged in […]
From Home Health Line. The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has announced the formation of a 10th area where regional Medicare Fraud Strike Force Teams will operate: New Jersey/Philadelphia. The team will focus on health care fraud and illegal opioid prescriptions, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. “The devastation the opioid epidemic is […]