A former Poplar Bluff Medicaid provider will have to pay $150,000 for falsely billing services that weren’t provided.
The Missouri Attorney General’s office says the settlement was reached with Brook Fears, who owned and operated Shady Oaks Retirement Home, a residential care facility in Poplar Bluff.
The facility is no longer in service, according to Attorney General Eric Schmitt.
Fears filed 148 false claims with MO HealthNet for personal care and nursing services that her facility did not provide to six Medicaid recipients from January 1, 2018 through June 23, 2019, Schmitt reported.
Fears will pay $150,000 to the MO HealthNet Fraud Reimbursement Fund, including full restitution of $106,615.42 and $43,384.58 in penalties. She could not produce documentation to prove certain services were provided, including: Plans of care for the recipients; daily service logs of personal care services received including dates, times, list of tasks performed and descriptions and signatures of the recipients; and written notes by a nurse regarding on-site visits or annual personal care aide assessments.
“In order to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure that people are getting the care they need, my office will continue to aggressively pursue those who attempt to game the Medicaid system for personal gain.”
The case was investigated by De’Nel Holliday and prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Brad Crowell.
The Missouri MFCU receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,818,808 for Federal fiscal year 2021. The remaining 25%, totaling $939,601 is funded by the State of Missouri.