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Health Company Pays $2.1 Million for Submitting False Claims to Medicare
LOUISVILLE, KY – In a shocking revelation, SHC Home Health Services of Florida, LLC and its related entities, collectively known as Signature HomeNow, have paid $2.1 million to the United States government to settle claims of improperly billing the Medicare Program for home health services provided to beneficiaries living in Florida.
According to a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida against Signature HomeNow, it was alleged that between 2013 and 2017 the company knowingly submitted false or fraudulent claims seeking payment from the Medicare Program for home health services to Medicare beneficiaries who: (i) were not homebound; (ii) did not require certain skilled care; (iii) did not have a valid or otherwise appropriate plans of care in place; and/or (iv) did not have appropriate face-to-face encounters needed in order to be appropriately certified to receive home health services.
This matter arose from a complaint to the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) complaint hotline (https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/) and from a complaint for monetary damages under the qui tam provisions of the federal False Claims Act. See United States ex rel. Barbara Mellott-Yezman and Patricia Rench v. SHC Home Health Services-Ocala, LLC et al., Case No. 15-cv-24713 (S.D. Fla.).
"Overbilling Medicare by submitting false claims increases the cost of medical care for all and undermines the integrity of the Medicare program," said Michael A. Bennett, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. "This office will continue to vigorously pursue unscrupulous health care providers who attempt to defraud the Medicare program."
Signature HomeNow operated home healthcare services in Florida and its corporate headquarters are located in Louisville, Kentucky.
"The fraudulent billing of Medicare will not be tolerated," said Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. "We will continue to aggressively pursue cases against those who erode the fabric of our federal health care programs by submitting false claims to Medicare."
SHC Home Health Services of Florida, LLC and its related entities (collectively "Signature HomeNow") paid $2.1 million to the United States government to settle claims of improperly billing the Medicare Program for home health services provided to beneficiaries living in Florida.
Defendant: SHC Home Health Services of Florida, LLC and its related entities (collectively "Signature HomeNow")
Criminal Charges: Knowingly submitting false or fraudulent claims seeking payment from the Medicare Program for home health services
City and State: Louisville, Kentucky
Date: April 29, 2022
Sentence or Outcome: Paid $2.1 million to the United States government to settle claims
Dollar Amount: $2.1 million
Key Facts
- State: Kentucky
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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