SPOKANE, Wash. — Health First Urgent Care clinics with locations in the Tri-Cities have agreed to pay $2,807,729 to resolve allegations of fraudulent billing practices involving Medicare and Medicaid in Washington state, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The settlement addresses claims that the urgent care clinic improperly billed for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) panel tests by unbundling them and charging for each individual test, rather than as a single panel, a DOJ release said.
This practice allegedly led to overbilling federal healthcare programs.
The allegations included claims that Health First Urgent Care billed for more expensive panel tests that were not medically necessary, particularly for patients with symptoms of Covid-19.
“Ensuring that healthcare providers comply with the requirements of Medicare and Medicaid not only maintains the integrity of these programs, but it also safeguards patients and results in better healthcare outcomes,” said United States Attorney Pete Serrano.