The state attorney general's office said a now-defunct pediatrics practice in St. Albans, Vt., has agreed to pay $66,553 to settle potential claims for improperly billing Medicaid, according to a Burlington Free Press report.
The publication reports the settlement resolves an investigation into improper Medicaid claims made by Mousetrap Pediatrics related to after-hours office visits. According to the article, the investigation found Mousetrap submitted Medicaid claims using an improper billing code for services provided during regularly scheduled extended office hours. The Medicaid claims involved were submitted from Jan. 28, 2013, through Dec. 7, 2015.
The erroneous Medicaid claims resulted in Mousetrap receiving $51,553 more from the Vermont Medicaid program than it would have been owed if the claims had been submitted properly, reports Burlington Free Press, citing information from the state attorney general's office.
The state attorney general's office did not identify fraudulent intent on behalf of Mousetrap, but rather the improper use of the billing code was caused by a change in the company's business practices related to extended office hours, according to the report.
Mousetrap will repay the Vermont Medicaid program the $51,553 it received as a result of the improper claims, along with a $15,000 civil penalty, according to the report.