A Houston-area nursing home employee was arrested last week on charges of conspiracy, healthcare fraud and violations of the anti-kickback statute for unlawfully billing federal healthcare programs for ambulance transport, announced U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.
Kelvin Washington, 47, an administrator at a Sugar Land, Texas, nursing home, is accused in the 10-count indictment of having received payments for the referral of dialysis patients to a Houston ambulance transport service between 2003 and 2007. Additionally, Washington is accused of conspiring with others to have unsuspecting doctors sign transport prescriptions for dialysis patients allegedly admitted to the nursing home where Washington worked.
The indictment alleges, among other charges, that the patients for whom Washington sought the prescriptions were never admitted to the nursing home.
According to the indictment, Medicare and Medicaid were billed almost a $1 million in false claims as a result of Washington's conduct. For his part in the scheme, Washington allegedly received approximately $20,000.
Washington was arrested by investigating agents with the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, Office of Investigations and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
If convicted, Washington faces up to 10 years in prison for violation of the healthcare fraud statute and up to 5 years each in prison for violation of the conspiracy and anti-kickback statues. Each of the 10 counts charged also carry a maximum fine of $250,000 as punishment upon conviction.