A Sarasota, Florida home health agency and its top executives have agreed to pay $5.8 million to resolve fraud allegations including that the Doctor’s Choice Home Care Inc. “provided improper financial inducements to referring physicians through sham medical director agreements and bonuses to physicians’ spouses who were Doctor’s Choice employees,” the Department of Justice says in a release. Doctor’s Choice will pay $3.86 million and execs Timothy Beach and Stuart Christensen will each pay $647,000 to settle the allegations. Doctor’s Choice also will pay an additional $675,000 “to resolve separate allegations that employees pressured clinical personnel to increase the number of home visits for Medicare patients to avoid the Medicare Low Utilization Payment Adjustment,” the DOJ adds. The case was sparked by two whistleblower lawsuits filed by Former Doctor’s Choice employees, and the qui tam realtors are set to receive a portion of the settlement funds. Sara Billings, Misty Sykes, and Marina Eschoyez-Quiroga will receive about $145,000 for the LUPA-related recoveries, the DOJ says. Corina Herbold’s share related to the other charges has not yet been determined, according to the release.