A federal judge has ordered the owner of a home health agency that operated in the Westlake District of Los Angeles to pay nearly $15 million – or approximately three times the losses suffered by Medicare as a result of the company’s illegal practices.
United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson previously issued a $14,902,832 default judgment against Hee Jung Mun, the former owner and operator of GreatCare Home Health Agency, who was commonly known as Angela Mun.
The Medicare fraud scheme came to light in March 2010 when GreatCare’s then-receptionist filed the whistleblower lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act.
According to the allegations raised by the whistleblower, GreatCare paid kickbacks to physicians and others to induce them to refer patients to GreatCare in a $5 million Medicare fraud scheme. As part of the scheme, Medicare beneficiaries were also paid to sign up for GreatCare’s service, even though many of them were not eligible for home health services. GreatCare billed Medicare for services that were not rendered, were unnecessary, and/or were performed by unlicensed personnel.
For more information on this case, click here: http://www.justice.gov/usao/cac/Pressroom/2013/116.html