The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri announced Thursday that St. Louis area health care chain Total Access Urgent Care (TAUC), which has a location in Washington, has agreed to pay $9,150,794 to settle allegations that it submitted false claims for medical services, including COVID-19 testing.
“This settlement will fully repay three federal health care programs for TAUC’s overbilling for COVID tests and office visits,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said in a statement.
According to the government’s allegations, from April of 2017 through November of 2021, TAUC submitted claims for payment to Medicare and TRICARE indicating that a physician performed office visits when a non-physician practitioner had actually done so, thereby receiving reimbursement at a higher rate.
From November of 2015 through November of 2021, TAUC submitted claims to Medicare and TRICARE for office visits that were upcoded. During the latter portion of that period, it also submitted upcoded office visit claims to a Health Resources and Services Administration program that reimbursed for the testing or treatment of, and vaccination against, COVID-19 for people who were uninsured, the government alleges.
TAUC voluntarily disclosed during the investigation that from April 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2021, it submitted false claims to Medicare, TRICARE and the UIP for COVID-19 testing using improper billing codes, again receiving reimbursements at a higher rate.
All of these...
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. is under federal investigation for alleged False Claims Act violations in its opioid dispensing practices, according to newly filed court record...