The former CEO of Merced, Calif.-based Horisons Unlimited, a nonprofit chain of health clinics, was sentenced Nov. 4 to five years in prison for her role in a billing fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice.
Sandra Haar was sentenced more than a year after she pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud and conspiracy to receive kickbacks. She orchestrated a scheme to bill Medicare and Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, for services that were not reimbursable between January 2014 and March 2017. As part of the scam, she billed Medi-Cal for office visits with physicians when patients were dispensed Suboxone, an opioid medication, in McDonald's and Rite Aid parking lots, according to the Justice Department.
According to court documents, Ms. Haar also received cash kickbacks from an account executive at a laboratory for using it for patients' lab testing.
In addition to the prison term, Ms. Haar was ordered to pay $6.1 million in restitution.
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