CALIFORNIA
Longwood Management Corporation and 27 affiliated skilled nursing facilities agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, according to officials.
Longwood submitted false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not reasonable or necessary, the Department of Justice announced Monday.
Longwood is headquartered in California and the 27 skilled nursing facilities are also located in California, officials stated.
“This settlement reflects the Department’s continuing commitment to ensure that patients are receiving individualized healthcare services appropriate to their specific medical needs,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Ethan P. Davis for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “When skilled nursing facilities provide rehabilitation therapy services based on maximizing revenue rather than the interests of their patients, we will hold them accountable.”
The settlement partially resolves allegations brought in two lawsuits filed by whistleblowers under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, which allows private parties to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery.
The whistleblowers, Judy Boyce, Benjamin Monsod, and Keith Pennetti will collectively receive $3 million of the settlement proceeds, according to authorities.
“Longwood’s business plan called for substantial revenue from Medicare, and it pressured therapists to provide additional, unnecessary services when targets were not met,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Hanna for the Central District of California. “This case demonstrates the power of whistleblowers to shine a light on improper business practices and obtain significant recoveries on behalf of United States taxpayers.”
The settlement resolves allegations that Longwood submitted false claims for rehabilitation therapy by engaging in a systematic effort to increase Medicare billings. Medicare reimburses skilled nursing facilities at a daily rate that reflects the skilled therapy and nursing needs of qualifying patients, officials stated.
The greater the patient’s needs, the higher the level of Medicare reimbursement.
The highest level of Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities is for “Ultra High” therapy patients, who require a minimum of 720 minutes of skilled therapy from two therapy disciplines (e.g., physical, occupational, or speech therapy), one of which has to be provided five days a week.
Longwood allegedly knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unreasonable and unnecessary Ultra High levels of rehabilitation therapy for Medicare Part A residents.
Specifically, Longwood allegedly pressured therapists to increase the amount of therapy provided to patients to meet pre-planned targets for Medicare revenue.
These targets were alleged to have been set without regard to patients’ individual therapy needs and could only be achieved by billing for a high percentage of patients at the Ultra High level, according to authorities.
The settlement covers conduct that occurred from May 1, 2008 through Aug. 1, 2012 at six facilities (Alameda Care Center, Burbank Rehabilitation Center, Magnolia Gardens Convalescent Hospital, Montrose Healthcare Center, Sherman Oaks Health & Rehab Center, and West Hills Health & Rehab Center); and from Jan. 1, 2006 through Oct. 10, 2014 at twenty-one facilities:
Burlington Convalescent Hospital
Chino Valley Rehabilitation Center LLC
Colonial Care Center
Covina Rehabilitation Center
Crenshaw Nursing Home, Green Acres Lodge
Imperial Care Center
Imperial Crest Health Care Center
Laurel Convalescent Hospital
Live Oak Rehabilitation Center
Longwood Manor Convalescent Hospital
Monterey Care Center
Intercommunity Healthcare Center
Park Anaheim Healthcare Center
Pico Rivera Healthcare Center
San Gabriel Convalescent Center
Whittier Pacific Care Center
Studio City Rehabilitation Center
Sunnyview Care Center
View Park Convalescent Center
Western Convalescent Hospital.
Contemporaneous with the civil settlement, Longwood has entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) that requires an independent review organization to annually assess the medical necessity and appropriateness of therapy services billed to Medicare, officials stated.
“The government contended Longwood falsely claimed medically unreasonable and unnecessary levels of rehabilitation services at the expense of taxpayers,” said Timothy B. DeFrancesca, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “My agency’s compliance agreement is designed to monitor claims to Medicare and prevent submission of false claims in the future.”