20 charged with $200 mn health care fraud in US
By IANSTuesday, February 15, 2011
Miami, Feb 16 (IANS/EFE) Twenty people, including three physicians, have been charged with health care fraud worth $200 million, the office of the attorney of Florida state in the US said.
The 20 people are accused of taking part in a fraud network that cheated the government of “purported mental health services”.
In all, 38 charges were filed against the accused, who worked for the American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), based in Miami, and Medlink Professional Management Group Inc.
The defendants submitted false claims for mental health services administered at the ATC facilities that were medically unnecessary or not provided at all, said documents cited by the attorney’s office.
The defendants paid kickbacks to patient brokers and owners and operators of assisted living facilities, in exchange for delivering patients to ATC facilities, the documents said.
Sixteen of the accused were arrested Tuesday morning in south Florida, authorities said, adding that more arrests would be made in the coming days.
–IANS/EFE
