Home Health & Hospice Week

Directing employees to create “ghost notes” is among the crimes.

After pleading guilty to a $1 million Medicare fraud scheme, the owner and operator of Sambritt Home Health in McAllen, Texas has received a stiff sentence.

Miguel Angel Contreras admitted to submitting false claims to Medicare for home health services that were not provided, that a physician had not authorized and/or were not medically necessary, the Department of Justice says in a release.

Contreras further admitted to a long list of misdeeds including paying kickbacks in exchange for patient information; submitting false claims to Medicare with that info; forging physician signatures on referral and 485 forms; directing employees to create “ghost notes” for patient files to make the fraudulent claims appear legitimate; and directing employees to bill Medicare for home health services with 485 forms that were missing physician signatures, the DOJ says.

In addition to a 45-month prison term and one year of supervised release, Contreras also must pay $1 million in restitution, the DOJ adds.