Virginia company pays $310K to resolve false claims charges

DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — A Virginia company and its owner have agreed to pay $310,000 to resolve allegations that they violated federal and state law by submitting false bills to Medicare and Medicaid, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Jacob Patterson, 66 of Danville, was a pharmacist who owned and operated Piedmont Infusion Services. The company employed nurses and nursing assistants to provide patients with compounded prescriptions as well as needle and catheter method medications ordered by their physician, the department’s news release said.

Piedmont Infusion Services did not employ a physician or “physician extender” such as a physician’s assistant to provide patient care.

From 2013 through the beginning of 2018, Patterson and Piedmont Infusion Services falsely billed Medicare and Medicaid for high-level office visits that didn’t occur, a news release said. In addition, Patterson and Piedmont Infusion Services also fraudulently double-billed Medicare Part B for medications already billed to Medicare Part D.

Prosecutors said a former employee of Piedmont Infusion Services came forward as a whistleblower and helped the government in its investigation.