Bloomfield Hills agency owner pleads to Medicare kickbacks
The owner of a Bloomfield Hills-based home health agency pleaded guilty to engaging in a Medicare kickback scheme that involved claims.
Authorities said Atheir Amarrah, owner of Prompt Care Home Health Services Inc., acknowledged paying illegal kickbacks to recruiters in exchange for Medicare beneficiary referrals. Amarrah then billed Medicare for claims.
The scheme cost the Medicare program up to $1.8 million.
Amarrah plead guilty on May 21 to one count of conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks in connection with Medicare beneficiaries and to four substantive counts of paying health-care kickbacks.
He is set to be sentenced Sept. 25.
The FBI and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s investigated the case as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged more than 3,500 people who collectively have falsely billed Medicare for more than $12.5 billion since March 2007.