Authorities arrested the former billing director of a five-state clinic network on two counts of Medicaid fraud Aug. 20, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
Helen Balding, who was the billing director for Preferred Family Healthcare until March of this year, was arrested for her alleged role as an accomplice in the company's former executive vice president's billing scheme, according to the investigator's affidavit.
The former executive, Robin Raveendran, was arrested June 29 on two counts of Medicaid fraud. He is accused of directing employees to improperly bill Medicaid for mental health services. Specifically, Mr. Raveendran told employees by email to forge $2.3 million in claims between 2015 and 2017. According to the affidavit, Ms. Balding followed the request in Mr. Raveendran's email even though she knew it was improper, according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
According to the affidavit, Ms. Balding fraudulently billed Medicaid despite knowing state regulations required providers to first verify other health insurers wouldn't cover the care.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services stopped reimbursing Preferred Family's claims after Mr. Raveendran's arrest. The five-state mental health and substance abuse care provider is in negotiations to sell its Arkansas facilities, according to the report.