Lincare to pay $29M over false claims for improperly billing Medicare
By Jeff Dale2023-08-29T18:41:00
A Florida-based provider of oxygen equipment for patients with respiratory ailments agreed to pay $29 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently overbilling Medicare.
Lincare Holdings, a subsidiary of German multinational chemical corporation Linde, admitted to improperly billing Medicare, Medicare Advantage plans, and beneficiaries for leased oxygen equipment the company had already been reimbursed for by the government, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington Vanessa Waldref announced in a press release Monday.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit brought under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by two former Lincare employees, Benjamin Montgomery and Brandon Haugen, who will receive more than $5.6 million.