U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida issued the following announcement on Mar. 24.
Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces that Rural/Metro Corporation has agreed to pay the United States $650,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare for ambulance transports.
According to the settlement agreement, from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2016, Rural/Metro submitted claims to Medicare for basic life support, non-emergency services performed in the Middle District of Florida, which the United States contends lacked medical necessity because the patients who were transported either did not qualify for such services or did not require ambulance transport. As such, these services were non-reimbursable by Medicare. The United States also contends that the reasons for these transports was improperly documented.
“Ambulance transportation services are often necessary, and sometimes critical, for seniors and other Medicare beneficiaries,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Karin Hoppmann. “We will continue to protect the integrity of our federal health care programs by ensuring that the services rendered, and billed for, are actually necessary and appropriate under the law.”
This settlement resulted from an investigation coordinated by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy R. Bloor and Kelley Howard-Allen, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The settlement resolves the United States’ claims. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Original source can be found here.