BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has reached settlements with two applied behavioral analysis (ABA) providers totaling more than $2.5 million to resolve allegations that the providers submitted fraudulent claims to MassHealth.
ABA services are principally designed to treat children with autism spectrum disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social interaction, impaired communication, and repetitive restrictive behaviors.
One of the settlements involves Ubuntu Autism Consultants, LLC (Ubuntu), formerly of Worcester, Autism Behavioral Links, Inc., of Framingham, and Ian Gatheca, the owner of both companies. The settlement requires Ubuntu and Gatheca to pay $1.7 million to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to MassHealth managed care entities (MCEs) for ABA services that were not provided by individuals with the appropriate credentials for the service in question.
The second settlement is with Autism Resources and Therapy Center (ARTC), of Westborough, and its owner Mary Wangari. The settlement requires ARTC and Wangari to pay $825,000 to resolve allegations that they billed MCEs for ABA services that were either not rendered and/or not properly documented, and for failing to provide adequate supervision of ARTC’s paraprofessional staff.
“The defendants involved in these two settlements not only failed to comply with the necessary standards for providing critical services to a vulnerable population with autism...
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