Eight nurses from the Medicare fraud hotspot of Miami were sentenced Friday to between five and 30 months in prison for their roles in a home health fraud plot that ultimately billed Medicare for $18.7 million in services that either were medically not needed and/or never delivered.
Six of those who pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud were RNs. Two others were licensed practical nurses. The fraud plot involved two Miami-based agencies--ABC Home Health Inc. and Florida Home Health Care Providers Inc.--which were owned by co-conspirators.
Not only did the defendants know that the services were not necessary and/or were not provided, they falsified patient files for Medicare beneficiaries to create the illusion that the beneficiaries qualified for services from the two home health agencies as prescribed by Dr. Jorge Dieppa. He awaits trial on one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count for false statements related to Medicare payments.
The amounts the nurses fraudulently billed Medicare for ranged from $24,000 to $699,000 at the high end.
To learn more:
- read the DoJ press release
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