Connecticut-based telehealth company Meditelecare, which operates in at least 17 states including Kentucky, has agreed to pay $358,514 to resolve allegations of improper Medicare billing.
Three things to know:
- The settlement resolves claims that between January 2017 and November 2022, Meditelecare billed Medicare for telehealth psychotherapy sessions that did not meet minimum time requirements. Investigators also alleged the company relied on false time records to support the claims.
- The case originated from a whistleblower lawsuit filed in Bowling Green, Ky., under the False Claims Act. The whistleblowers claimed Meditelecare overbilled Medicare for timed services, prompting an investigation by federal attorneys and agencies, including the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General.
- "Those who bill Medicare for timed services must do so accurately," U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky said in a Jan. 3 press release. "We take these matters very seriously and will vigorously pursue claims that Medicare is being overcharged."