Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the state will receive more than $191,ooo as part of a $25 million national settlement with respiratory device supplier Lincare Holdings Inc. over alleged Medicaid fraud.
Publicly traded Lincare, based in Clearwater, Florida, was accused of overbilling Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans for noninvasive home ventilation devices from January 2013 to February 2020.
It’s alleged that Lincare knowingly submitted false claims for devices that were not medically necessary or that Lincare did not maintain sufficient documentation to show continued use or need by patients.
Under the settlement, Lincare admitted that it improperly billed Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans, along with beneficiaries, and that it lacked adequate controls to ensure that plans and beneficiaries were not improperly billed.
The company also admitted that when Lincare employees raised concerns about improper billing, Lincare told them that the company would not change its billing practices.
Lincare has entered into a five-year agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that requires, among other things, that the company implement a robust compliance and reporting program and complete a number of billing reforms and practices. The agreement requires that Lincare retain, at its expense, independent experts to review its claims and billing practices to ensure they are appropriate
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