Intrepid U.S.A. Inc., Medicare Fraud, Kentucky 2023

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Table of Contents

Defendant Name, Crime, Location, Year

Intrepid U.S.A. Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiaries agreed to pay $3,850,000 to resolve allegations that the company knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for home healthcare services and hospice care between 2016 and 2021.

According to the United States, 19 Intrepid home healthcare facilities submitted claims to Medicare for services that did not qualify for reimbursement, including services provided by untrained staff or not performed at all.

The U.S. alleged that three Intrepid hospice facilities admitted patients to hospice care who were not terminally ill or continued providing services to patients who no longer met the requirements for the Medicare hospice benefit.

“Medicare’s hospice and home healthcare benefits provide critical services to vulnerable patient populations across the country,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton. “This settlement reflects our commitment to ensuring that these benefits are used to care for those who need them and not just to enrich those who seek to provide them.”

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky stated, “The Medicare Program provides vital health insurance to the elderly and disabled population. Our office will vigorously pursue unscrupulous providers who choose to illegally and improperly bill the Medicare Program.”

U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger for the District of Minnesota added, “Businesses who engage in improper Medicare billing practices undercut the legitimate provision of healthcare services for patients in need. This settlement reinforces the importance of holding accountable health care providers who seek financial gain above quality patient care.”

Special Agent in Charge Tamala E. Miles of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) said, “Home health is designed to increase health care access for our most vulnerable populations with mobility limitations, while hospice care aims to provide comfort and relief for the terminally ill. Exploiting these systems for financial gain is intolerable. Working with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue health care providers who jeopardize the integrity of these services by prioritizing profit over medically necessary palliative care.”

The civil settlement resolves claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act in two different lawsuits, one each from Jennifer Jones and Marsha Rigney, former employees of Intrepid U.S.A. Inc.