AmeriHealth clinics consent to $2 million judgment to resolve healthcare fraud allegations
BOISE, Idaho (KIFI) – The owners of several medical clinics in eastern Idaho have agreed to pay $2 million to settle charges they violated the false claims act.
AmeriHealth and its owners, Ryan and Alban Hatch, consented to the judgment against them in U.S. District Court after admitting to violations of the False Claims Act, announced U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit.
The fraud scheme involved using vulnerable or inexperienced medical staff to submit or cause to be submitted false claims to federal health care programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare.
Through the agreement to pay $2 million, the defendants also resolved, without admitting, additional allegations they violated the Controlled Substances Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute and fraudulently obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
According to a complaint filed by the United States in December 2023, AmeriHealth hired vulnerable, compromised and inexperienced medical staff who were then pressured into providing unnecessary and worthless care, which resulted in false claims being submitted to federal health care programs. For example, owners Ryan and Alban Hatch ordered a hungover and impaired practitioner to provide medical care to unsuspecting patients. The complaint also alleged they pressured practitioners to prescribe controlled substances, entered into an unlawful kickback scheme with a third-party laboratory,and falsely certified information in order to obtain forgiveness of a PPP loan worth more than $750,000.
“Fighting health care fraud is about ensuring safety for patients and families as well as protecting taxpayer funds,” U.S. Attorney Hurwit said. “That’s why health care fraud enforcement has been, and will continue to be, a priority for my office. We will not tolerate individuals and companies sacrificing public safety through fraudulent schemes or illegal practices.”
This matter was investigated jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, the Small Business Administration, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Additional assistance was provided by the Idaho Board of Pharmacy, the Idaho State Department of Health and Welfare and the Idaho Division of Occupational and Professional Licenses.
