Porter Ranch doctor arrested on suspicion of Medicare fraud totaling $6 million
A Porter Ranch woman is facing criminal charges of creating phony home health care certifications that led to more than $6 million in fraudulent billings to Medicare, federal authorities announced Friday, May 7.
Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 58, who was arrested Thursday, fraudulently certified patients to receive care from four separate home health agencies, two in Glendale and two in Panorama City, federal authorities said. Those agencies would then file claims for reimbursement with Medicare for services that were either not necessary or were never provided, prosecutors said.
Baltaian would receive cash benefits from the home health agencies for the referrals, prosecutors alleged. She also submitted her own claims for reimbursement to Medicare for certifications and for patient visits and injections that were not provided, they said.
The doctor faces four charges of health care fraud and could receive a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Read more: https://www.dailynews.com/2021/05/07/porter-ranch-doctor-arrested-on-suspicion-of-medicare-fraud-totaling-6-million/
(Los Angeles Daily News)