Massachusetts auditors found nine home health agencies overbilled the state's Medicaid program nearly $23 million for services that were not provided or not medically necessary during a three month period in 2015, according to The Boston Globe.
Officials released the names of eight of the nine agencies, omitting records they claimed were part of ongoing investigations.
Medical providers affiliated with the nine aforementioned agencies allegedly submitted bills to Medicaid with missing demographic or medical information, resulting in improper government payments.
The state has issued fines to, and plans to recoup overcharges from, each of the nine institutions. Executives at each of the institutions who spoke with the Globe said they plan on appealing the audit findings. They told the Globe the majority of the violations are a result of minor paperwork issues that were "overblown" by auditors, according to the article.
State officials said they will continue to audit other home health companies they suspect of violating state Medicaid laws.
A list of all the companies found to have improperly billed the state's Medicaid program can be found here.