BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Three nursing homes under the Safire homes banner will pay a total of $9 million for submitting fraudulent Medicaid claims for a period of more than four years, the state Attorney General office said Monday.
Safire Rehabilitation of Northtowns in Tonawanda, Safire Rehabilitation of Southtowns in south Buffalo and Williamsville Suburban Nursing Home, according to the AG’s office, submitted false data to the government that artificially increased their reimbursement rates from Medicaid, which allowed them to earn millions of dollars that they should not have.
The claims were submitted between July 2016 and December 2020, according to the state.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Safire properties scheduled “skilled rehabilitative therapy and setting skilled rehabilitative therapy goals for residents based on the reimbursement policies of the residents’ insurer, rather than medical need,” pressured treating therapists to provide therapy even when the therapists recommended against therapy, pressured residents to attend therapy after thy refused to, and manufactured and altered referrals and medical records “to justify unreasonable and unnecessary therapy.”
Of the $9 million, $3.6 million will go directly to the state and a total of $5.4 million will be paid to the federal government. Under the settlement announced Monday, the nursing homes also admit wrongdoing and will have to adopt “new policies and procedures” to ensure that its residents...
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