Home Health Owner To Pay $4.5 Million Over Alleged Kickbacks To Doctors, Assisted Living Facilities

A home health owner has agreed to pay about $4.5 million to resolve allegations related to False Claims Act violations. Specifically, the owner – who operated multiple agencies – allegedly provided illegal kickbacks to assisted living facilities and physicians in exchange for referrals. Guardian Health Care, Gem City Home Care and Care Connection of Cincinnati […]

Discrepancies In Home Health Enrollment Data Raise Red Flags In Congressional Hearing

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra fielded questions in a House Ways & Means committee hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, a few of which were pointed at concerns around potential fraud in home health. Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) grilled the secretary about an apparent lack of progress on curbing certifications […]

OIG Report Highlights Personal Care’s Outsized Role In Medicaid Fraud

As at-home care has increasingly become a more popular model for health care, a significant portion of fraud convictions over the last 10 years have involved personal care services attendants. Between 2014 and 2023, personal care services accounted for at least 34% of fraud convictions in some years and as much as 48% in other […]

Home Health Agency Agrees To Pay $10 Million In Fraud Case

A home health agency has agreed to pay nearly $10 million to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to a health care program for Department of Energy workers. The Wisconsin-based Atlantic Home Health Care (AHH) is a home health care agency that operates in nine states. The U.S. government alleges that in Arizona, between […]

Cigna Reaches $172 Million Settlement Over False Claims Act Allegations

Insurance giant Cigna (NYSE: CI) has reached an agreement with the U.S. government over claims it overcharged the Medicare Advantage (MA) program by misrepresenting patients’ conditions. As part of the agreement, Cigna will pay more than $172 million to the government and will also enter into a corporate integrity agreement with the U.S. Department of […]

Jury Convicts Duo In $93 Million Medicare Home Health Fraud Scam

A man and woman in Florida were convicted for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare by billing over $93 million for home health therapy services that were never provided. The conviction was brought down by a federal jury in Miami this week. The two people convicted — Karel Felipe and Tamara Quicutis — […]

Where, When And Why Home Health Billing Fraud Becomes Obvious

A new comprehensive study is shining a light on potential factors that have led to home health billing fraud over the years. Among other findings, researchers at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine concluded that home health agencies that share patients across multiple agencies, and those that had high rates of expenditures across hospital referral regions […]

Cyber Attacks Hurt Home Health Operations – But Patient Outcomes Are Next

For home-based care providers, cyber attacks are less likely to be an “if,” and more likely to be a “when.” And, as cyber attackers get more creative and persistent, it’s important for providers to understand the implications of attacks. “Over the last 18 months, we’re seeing massive impacts to patient care,” Fortified Health Security CEO […]