Intrepid to pay $3.85 million over home health and hospice allegations

On August 20, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky said Intrepid U.S.A. Inc. and subsidiaries agreed to pay $3,850,000 to resolve False Claims Act allegations. The release says the settlement is based on ability to pay, that the claims are allegations only, and that there has been no determination of liability. ¹ Source 1

The United States alleged that from 2016 to 2021, 19 home health facilities billed Medicare for patients who did not qualify or were not properly certified, for care that was not reasonable or necessary, for care by untrained staff, or for care that was not performed. It alleged that three hospice facilities admitted patients who were not terminally ill or kept patients who no longer qualified. ¹ Source 1

The release says relators Jennifer Jones and Pamela Joffe will receive $333,985, and relators Marsha Rigney and Janet Watts will receive $359,014. The cases are captioned U.S. ex rel. Jones v. Intrepid USA Healthcare Inc., No. 19-sc-2973 (D. Minn.), and U.S. ex rel. Rigney v. Intrepid U.S.A. Inc., No. 3:20-cv-95-RGJ (W.D. Ky.). ¹ Source 1