According to federal prosecutors, a woman from Southern California faces felony charges after fabricating home health care certifications that resulted in more than $6 million in false Medicare service fees.
Between January 2012 and July 2018, Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 58, of Porter Ranch, was detained after authorities said she illegitimately approved patients to receive treatment from four different home health providers — two in Glendale and two in Panorama City, according to the Daily News.
Baltaian would obtain cash benefits from the home health providers for the referrals, police said, and the providers would make applications for compensation with Medicare for treatment that were not rendered or needless. Baltaian, according to authorities, has filed her own compensation requests.
Patients who are limited to their homes due to sickness or injuries should be certified for home health care by physicians, licensed nurses, or trained practitioners. The agencies submit payment requests to Medicare.
Changing wound dressings, administering injections, and showing patients’ relatives how to better care for their loved ones are also examples of home health facilities.
Prosecutors say that when the agencies sent applications to Medicare, Baltaian and the care homes knew the accreditations were misleading or unnecessary. Baltaian is charged with four counts of healthcare abuse and faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in jail if guilty.
It was unclear how many allegations the organizations submitted or whether they could face prosecution over their suspected role in the illegal scam.
