Hospice agency Intrepid USA to pay $3.8M over false claims to Medicare

Home health and hospice agency Intrepid USA agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle allegations, first brought by four whistleblowers, that its facilities billed Medicare for services patients were not qualified to receive, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Texas-based Intrepid billed Medicare for services patients didn’t qualify for, or for whom it wasn’t clear whether they qualified due to a lack of certified eligibility, the DOJ said in a press release Tuesday. The DOJ acted on behalf of the Office of Inspector General’s Department of Health and Human Services.

The case resolves two claims brought under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Pamela Joffe, a former director of quality assessment, performance improvement, and new business development; Jennifer Jones, a former travel nurse; Marsha Rigney, a former director of clinical excellence; and Janet Watts, a former regional manager of clinical excellence. Joffe and Jones will receive nearly $334,000, while Rigney and Watts will receive more than $359,000.