The parent company of over fifty skilled nursing homes, including one in Indiana, will pay a large settlement over claims that they provided unnecessary therapy to some of their patients.
According to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady, Guardian Elder Care Holdings of Brockway and their related companies agreed to pay $15,466,278 to settle claims that the nursing home chain provided medically unnecessary treatments. Guardian Elder Care Holdings operates over 50 facilities in Pennsylvania, including Scenery Hill Manor in Indiana, along with locations in West Virginia and Ohio.
The settlement resolves allegations from a whistle-blower complaint that was filed in federal court under provisions of the False Claims act. The whistle-blowers claimed between January of 2011 and December of 2017, Guardian Elder Care pressured their rehab therapists to provide services to reach financial targets and to maximize revenue, regardless of whether the patient needed the treatment or not.
The settlement also includes claims that it employed two people who were excluded from federal healthcare programs, and it claims that Guardian received payment for services provided through these excluded persons during their term of exclusion.
In addition to the payment, Guardian agreed to enter into a chain-wide Corporate Integrity Agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
