Massachusetts home health agency to pay $10M to settle false claims charges

A Massachusetts home health company and its CEO will pay $10 million to settle charges of falsely billing the state’s Medicaid program, according to a news release from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

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Maestro-Connections Health Systems, based in Lawrence, Mass., and its CEO George Kiongera were accused of violating the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting false claims to MassHealth for home health services that were not authorized by a physician.

The false billing occurred from January 2014 to August 2019, the attorney general said.  

“The submission of false claims to the MassHealth program drains resources from legitimate patient care,” said Phillip Coyne, special agent in charge at the HHS Office of the Inspector General in Boston. “I appreciate the partnership with the Medicaid fraud division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office in holding accountable those that seek to exploit this vital taxpayer-funded program.”

More articles on legal and regulatory issues: 
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Massachusetts physician accused of $10.6M in billing fraud

 
 

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