Ambulance company pleads guilty in fraud case

[MariaCatEMT]

Ambulance company fraud case

(Hartford -AP, Oct. 19, 2004 8:35 PM) _ Prosecutors say a Norwich ambulance company has pleaded guilty to a charge of health care fraud.

Professional Ambulance Service of Norwich was accused of submitting claims to Medicare for trips not covered by Medicare and TRICARE, a service covering those in the armed forces and their families.

Prosecutors said the company submitted claims for transporting kidney patients to dialysis treatments from 1999 until 2001, even though Medicare only pays for such treatment if the patient can't get out of bed or sit in a wheelchair.

E-M-Ts and paramedics were allegedly told to not mention in medical records if the patient could walk, sit or stand up.

Prosecutors also say the company will pay one-point-five (m) million dollars in civil penalties to settle allegations it violated the civil False Claims Act.


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[MMiz]

That just gives EMS a bad name.

The company I work for provides BLS transport services for quite a few dialysis patients. We have to do a complete run form for both trips, and are required to write why the patient is unable to be transported via Wheelchair Van or POV.

I'll admit I find it sometimes annoying to fill out a complete run form for the same patient, twice in one day, but it's part of the job.

 

[kyleybug]

I have to agree it does give all of us a bad name. We do dialysis tx every Mon, Wed & Friday and our pt.s are indeed in need of tx by ambulance. Our owner is very conscious of the insurance requirements and has actually told pt.s that insurance will not pay for them to be taken so they had better find different means of tx or they will get a bill that they will have to pay. There is one in particular that tried to use us just because the husband didn't want to get up at 5:30 am to take her....wrong answer! Some people act as though we are a taxi service and I have lost count on the # that have asked if we will take them back home after their ED visit. The public never ceases to amaze me. When you get bad publicity like this it seems to make the whole bunch of us look guilty, even if we aren't.