Home Health & Hospice Week
HHA Owners, Docs, RNs Indicted In Chicago
Don't be surprised if it takes months -- or longer -- to see additional indictments come down in the fraud case involving Dr. Jacques Roy and three Dallas area home health agencies. And those indictments may apply even to the "little guys" at a fraudulent agency. Just look at a big fraud indictment from last summer against Chicago area HHA owner Jacinto "John" Gabriel Jr., owner of Perpetual Home Health Inc. in Oak Forest, Ill., and Legacy Home Healthcare Services. Prosecutors indicted Gabriel then, but now they've added 11 new defendants to the case, including two physicians, four registered nurses, and three data entry staff, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois says in a release. Gabriel and his co-conspirators billed Medicare without beneficiaries' knowledge or consent; paid kickbacks to physicians; and created false documentation to support the bogus claims, among other charges, according to the indictment. Gabriel and his co-schemers allegedly used the proceeds to gamble at casinos in the Chicago area and Las Vegas; to buy cars, jewelry and real estate in the U.S. and the Philippines; and to perpetuate the businesses by paying his employees and providing them with gifts, according to the release. The new defendants face fraud and other charges in the case that alleges Gabriel's agencies bilked Medicare of $20 million over five years. The new defendants include RN Jassy Gabriel, John Gabriel's brother and the nominal majority owner of Perpetual; RN and Perpetual minority owner Stella Lubaton; RN and Legacy co-owner Nessli Reyes; physicians Charito Dela Torre and Ricardo Gon-zales; RN and Gonzales' daughter Rosalie Gonza-les; Perpetual data entry employees James Davis, Francis Galang, and Michael Pacis; Perpetual QA employee Regelina "Queenie" David; and bookkeeper and tax preparer Kennedy Lomillo.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Referrals:
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Use New Claims Format Or Face Denials
It's no joke -- effective on April Fool's Day, your Medicare claims must be in the [...] - Industry Note:
Clear Up This Question About Allowing Additional Visits
If you're not sure how specific the physician's order needs to be to allow additional [...] - Industry Note:
Docs' Full NPIs To Appear In PECOS Reports
You may now find it a bit easier to figure out if your referring physicians [...] - Industry Note:
Revamped MSN Encourages Bene Fraud Reporting
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NLRB Says You Must Post Union Information
Don't forget to comply with a new National Labor Relations Board rule requiring employers to [...] - Industry Note:
Medicare Scammers Target Diabetes Patients
You might want to give your diabetes patients a heads up that a new scam [...] - Industry Note:
Tout Your Programs That Reduce Hospitalization Costs
If you aren't building a program showing insurers that your services can save money through [...] - Industry Note:
HHA Owners, Docs, RNs Indicted In Chicago
Don't be surprised if it takes months -- or longer -- to see additional indictments come down [...]
