A company that operates nursing facilities in several states will have to pay out millions of dollars after conducting a Medicaid fraud scheme.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Georgia-based company has been found liable for billing Medicaid for unnecessary services and offering inadequate nursing to patients.
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SavaSeniorCare LLC, a company that operates skilled nursing facilities across the country, has been ordered to pay a total of $11.2 million to various states and the federal government for the scheme. North Carolina will receive $192,045.19 in restitution.
Court documents say the company improperly caused therapists to give medically unnecessary rehabilitation therapy services to maximize profits by charging patients covered by Medicaid. This is said to have taken place from October 2008 to September 2012, according to court documents.
Additionally, from January 2008 through December 2018, Sava failed to provide medical treatment that met federal requirements.
Some of these failures included Sava’s inability to follow appropriate pressure ulcer protocols, fall protocols, and caused medication errors for patients.
“Health care providers have a responsibility to provide quality care for their patients and be responsible stewards of taxpayer resources,” said Josh Stein, North Carolina Attorney General, in a statement. “When they fail to do so, I will hold them accountable on behalf of North Carolinians.”
This settlement resulted from federal lawsuits filed against Sava in Tennessee and Pennsylvania.
Sava operates several health care centers in the Charlotte area.
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