with my personal experience with Orbit Medical in Illinois was very negative, happy that some accountability has been administered. Jim at Ability Chicago Info.
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Durable Medical Equipment Suppliers to Pay $7.5 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations
Orbit Medical Inc. and Rehab Medical Inc. will pay $7.5 million to resolve allegations that Orbit submitted false claims to federal health care programs for power wheelchairs and accessories, the Justice Department announced today. Orbit Medical and Rehab Medical, a partial successor of Orbit, are durable medical equipment suppliers based in Salt Lake City, Utah and Indianapolis, Indiana, respectively.
“Power wheelchair suppliers must bill federal healthcare programs accurately and honestly to ensure that federal dollars are used for individuals who truly need these mobility devices,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Justice Department is committed to pursuing those who seek to abuse taxpayer-funded programs.”
Medicare pays for power wheelchairs for beneficiaries who cannot perform activities of daily living in their home using other mobility-assistance equipment, such as a cane, walker or power scooter. To qualify for reimbursement, a physician must conduct a face-to-face examination of the beneficiary and provide the supplier with a written prescription for a power wheelchair within 45 days of such an encounter, along with documentation that supports the medical necessity of the device. The prescription must be completed by the physician who performed the exam and must include the beneficiary’s name, the exam date, the diagnoses and conditions the wheelchair is expected to accommodate, the length of need and the physician’s signature.
The settlement with Orbit Medical and Rehab Medical resolves allegations that Orbit sales representatives knowingly altered physician prescriptions and supporting documentation to get Orbit’s power wheelchair and accessory claims paid by Medicare, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Plan and the Defense Health Agency. In particular, the government alleged that Orbit sales representatives changed or added dates to physician prescriptions and chart notes to falsely document that the prescription was sent to the supplier within 45 days of the face-to-face beneficiary exam; changed the physician prescription to falsely establish medical necessity for the power wheelchair or accessory; created or altered chart notes and other documents to falsely establish the medical necessity of the power wheelchair or accessory; forged physician signatures on prescriptions and chart notes; and added facsimile stamps to supporting documentation to make it appear as though the physician’s office had sent the documents to Orbit.
“The resolution of this case helps to restore funds taken from the Medicare trust fund through the use of falsified records and billings,” said U.S. Attorney Carlie Christensen of the District of Utah. “Taxpayers’ dollars paid for power wheelchairs not legitimately prescribed by a physician. Health care fraud is aggressively prosecuted in Utah and every effort is made to restore government funds taken through such conduct.”
“Wheelchair schemes such as this divert Medicare funds meant to pay for legitimate health care, including providing wheelchairs for patients who have a genuine medical need for such equipment,” said Special Agent in Charge Gerald T. Roy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Our agency will continue to investigate those who attempt to cheat federal health care programs.”
The allegations resolved by the settlement with Orbit and Rehab were filed under the False Claims Act by two former Orbit employees, Dustin Clyde and Tyler Jackson. Under the Act, a private party can sue for false claims on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Clyde and Jackson will receive approximately $1.5 million. The whistleblowers’ suit also named as a defendant Jake Kilgore, the former vice president and sales manager at Orbit Medical for the Western region of the United States. The United States intervened in that aspect of the suit on April 2, 2014, and today’s settlement does not resolve the pending claims against Kilgore. Separately, on Oct. 23, 2013, a federal grand jury in Utah indicted Kilgore on three counts of health care fraud, three counts of false statements related to health care and three counts of wire fraud.
Today’s settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $24 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $15.3 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.
This case was a coordinated effort among the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Utah, HHS-OIG, the FBI, the Office of Personnel Management and the Defense Health Agency. The lawsuit is captioned United States ex rel. Clyde et al. v. Orbit Medical et al., No. 2:10-CV-00297 (D. Utah).
The claims settled by the government are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/durable-medical-equipment-suppliers-pay-75-million-resolve-false-claims-act-allegations
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