An urgent care company with locations in Central Oregon and its former owner has agreed to pay the state nearly $490,000 to settle claims they overbilled the state’s Medicaid program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The case centers around Family Choice Urgent Care, which operated clinics and drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Bend and Redmond. According to the Oregon Department of Justice, Family Choice submitted thousands of claims between 2020 and 2022 for medically unnecessary COVID-19 tests and inflated the billing codes for routine visits that lasted only a few minutes.
The state alleges that the false claims cost taxpayers at least $300,000.
According to the state’s complaint, at least 1,900 Medicaid claims were tied to patients who reported no symptoms, no exposure and later tested negative. Another 1,900 claims involved “upcoding,” or charging for higher-level evaluation and management visits than were actually provided.
Investigators said that Dr. Terrace Mucha, Family Choice’s former owner, directed staff to use these higher billing codes despite warnings from insurers, billing specialists and her own physician assistants.
The settlement requires Family Choice and Mucha to repay $305,800 in restitution as...
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