Additional home care providers in the Detroit area will be getting more than coal in their stockings for alleged Medicare fraud. The Depart-ment of Justice has charged 20 Michigan residents with fraud after false billings of about $34 million put huge targets on their backs.
Two physicians and three home health agency owners were accused of being involved in a $7 million scheme to submit fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary home health services, and paid kickbacks to patients for the use of their Medicare ID numbers. Agencies involved in the scheme are Cherish Home Health Services and Tricounty Home Care Services Inc.
And three physicians and a nurse were charged with submitting millions in fraudulent claims for physician home services that were never provided.