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Weekly UpdatesThe U.S. Attorney's Office in Little Rock is investigating Hospice Home Care Inc. of Little Rock concern ing civil allegations of at least $1.6 million in false claims submitted to Medicare.
The complaints were contained in a lawsuit filed by Arkansas Hospice Inc., a nonprofit based in Little Rock, with the U.S. Attorney's office acting as an intervenor. The suit had been under seal since its filing on April 26, 2004. U.S. District Judge lames Moody unsealed the case last week.
The suit by Arkansas Hospice was filed under the federal False Claims Act, which allows "whistleblowers" to sue entities believed to be defrauding the federal government.
The suit names Hospice Home Care Inc.; Hospice Home Care of Pine Bluff PLLC; several officials of Hospice Home Care; Barrow Road Care & Rehabilitation Center LLC, doing business as Parkview Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center; Presbyterian Village Inc.; and Presbyterian Village Foundation Inc.
Arkansas Hospice's suit alleges that Hospice Home Care contracted with Parkview to provide inpatient care to Hospice Home Care patients. HHC then billed Medicare for those patients at a higher level of care--and a higher rate--than was needed.
In a news release, the U.S. Attorney's Office said the government, so far, had conducted a review of only a "representative sampling of 34 patients."
"That sampling identified 257 false claims submitted to Medicare by HHC. The total amount paid on the identified false claims was $1,673,878.22. Of that amount, at least $1.4 million represents overpayment to HHC," the release said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is intervening only in the allegations concerning Hospice Home Care Inc.; its sister company, Hospice Home Care of Pine Bluff; and the Hospice Home Care officials.
The government isn't intervening in the case against Parkview because it has filed bankruptcy, U.S. Attorney lane Duke said. It's not pursuing a case against Presbyterian Village because "few patients were admitted at Presbyterian Village, and Presbyterian Village ceased its relationship with HHC soon after the contracts were negotiated and prior to any knowledge of the Government's investigation," the U.S. Attorney's news release said.
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