The Columbus Dispatch | Bennett Leckrone
A Columbus home health-services provider owes more than $2 million after it billed the state for services it was not authorized to provide, according to the state auditor.
America’s Home Health Services owes a total of $2.13 million, including interest, to the Ohio Department of Medicaid.
The company billed the state a total of $4.59 million from July 2013 to June 2016, according to an audit by the state auditor’s office released Tuesday. Many of the services provided by the company didn’t comply with state standards, the report states.
A variety of noncompliance issues with Ohio’s Medicaid program were found, including billing the state for services before getting authorization from a physician in 615 out of 1,554 services sampled.
“This practice of ‘bill the state first, get approval later’ is wholly irresponsible — and prohibited,” Auditor Dave Yost said in a statement. “It puts patients at risk for improper care and forces taxpayers to pay for services that might not be necessary.”