DANVILLE, Va. (WFXR) — The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday that Piedmont Infusion Services in Danville, along with its owner, have agreed to pay $310,000 after being accused of violating the False Claims Act and the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act by submitting false bills to Medicare and Medicaid.
According to the department, a 66-year-old Jacob Patterson owned and operated Piedmont Infusion Services, a pharmacy-based infusion center along Mall Drive that hired nurses and nursing assistants to provide patients compounded prescriptions, as well as needle and catheter method medications ordered by their physicians.
However, the DOJ says Piedmont Infusion Services did not employ a physician or “physician extender,” such as a physician’s assistant, to provide patient care.
From 2013 through the beginning of 2018, officials say that Patterson and Piedmont Infusion Services both falsely and knowingly billed Medicare and Medicaid for high-level office visits never happened.
According to the DOJ, Patterson and his facility “consistently and improperly billed for CPT code 99215, which is only appropriate when a physician or other qualified medical professional provides evaluation and management of an established patient who presents problems of moderate to high severity. To be appropriate, the appointment must include at least two of these three key components: a comprehensive history, a comprehensive examination, and/or medical decision-making of high...
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