A.G. Gancarski
Florida’s Attorney General is trumpeting two arrests related to what her office calls “Medicaid provider fraud.”
“This fraudulent billing scheme not only defrauded the Florida Medicaid program out of more than $1.6 million but did so at the expense of Medicaid-dependent recipients, one being a disabled child,” said Attorney General Ashley Moody.
“In addition to manipulating the system for extra money, the hiring of unqualified and unlicensed medical staff resulted in poor treatment and medical emergencies for Medicaid patients. I’m grateful for our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) for putting a stop to this scheme.”
The AG’s Office alleges Latrena Marie Thomas, the owner of the Northeast Florida based A River’s Journey, hired “non-licensed individuals to provide hands-on personal care services to Medicaid recipients.”
“In addition, Thomas paid Donald Ray Adams II, a parent of a disabled Medicaid recipient, to provide medically licensed care for his own child. In total, Thomas fraudulently billed Medicaid claims for 30 distinct medically needy Medicaid recipients, which caused a total loss of more than $1.6 million.”
The scheme allegedly played out with unlicensed and poorly-vetted certified nursing assistants or home-health aides providing “hands-on personal care to Medicaid recipients.”
“Several of these unqualified employees would have failed the Level 2 background screening that is required by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Thomas did not have a Director of Nursing on staff to provide oversight of the licensed practical nurses and other staff employed by A River’s Journey,” the allegation continues.
“Thomas also falsified the agency’s employee roster, progress notes, service logs and plan-of-care documents, and billed for a recipient’s 24/7 nursing care while paying Adams. Thomas’s negligent assignment of unqualified staff to recipients created three separate medical emergencies, including a trach tube dislodging, extreme sunburn and a delay in contacting Emergency Medical Services.”
Alleged co-conspirator Adams is accused of “providing unsigned progress notes for his own child’s care” in exchange for “cash, gift cards and bank deposits” totaling $7,320.
Thomas faces one count of Medicaid provider fraud of $50,000 or more, which is a first-degree felony charge. Adams is charged with a third-degree felony given the lesser amount.
The MFCU will prosecute the case through the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.
In case all the qualifiers and careful wording throughout the article aren’t clear enough, these are just charges as of now.
10 comments
pRick Scott
May 15, 2024 at 3:23 pm
This is a politically motivated weaponization of the courts!
rick whitaker
May 15, 2024 at 3:31 pm
PRICK SCOTT, are you referring to florida’s kangaroo justice system? of course it’s weaponized. that is a main part of the maga playbook.
Ocean Joe
May 15, 2024 at 4:24 pm
He’s referring to the RIDICULOUS claim that Rick Scott made while standing in front of the courthouse where Donald Trump is on trial for election campaign finance law violations.
Scott, who saw record setting fines and restitution of $1,700,000,000, yes 1.7 BILLION, levied against HCA for conduct taking place mostly while he was CEO, AGREED to enter a settlement to pay this amount and now claims it was politically motivated because he opposed Hilliary-care (a set of plans that never became legislation), just like the political witch hunt against Trump, as Trump always claims even though the hunts keep turning up ACTUAL witches (disguised as corpulent grifters).
Florida’s justice system headed by a partisan state supreme court is not involved (federal for HCA and for the Trump case).
MH/Duuuval
May 15, 2024 at 4:33 pm
Your last graf sounds right to me, so why is Ms. Moody trumpeting?
rick whitaker
May 15, 2024 at 5:26 pm
OJ, well that being the case, i’m on the wrong gop justice crew. after a while all the maga weaponizing being done on ALL levels is too much to try to keep straight. fed, state, county, city, school board, they are all being trumped.
Dont Say FLA
May 16, 2024 at 10:17 am
At least the school board ones are entertaining. Not worth it, but entertaining nevertheless, especially after they “serve” on the board for 4 to 6 months and voters realize their mistake and commence with recall except for in G0P Run States where recalls aren’t a thing and voters are stuck with every lame duck.
Cindy
May 16, 2024 at 2:48 pm
Most do not except Medicaid I certain areas of fla they do business with business insurance and old age med Care
There government pay scale departments clinic’s ate known to ingnore bill and abandoned or neglect
MH/Duuuval
May 16, 2024 at 10:53 pm
I’d be more grateful than Moody if the MAGAs in Tallahassee expanded Medicaid and re-enrolled all the kids they cut off.
🌞
May 25, 2024 at 4:41 pm
She should be working on mistrust and diagnosis that can’t be diagnosed without proper procedures 😞
And pay scale people that ignore your symptoms,,and give you wrong meds.and bill you at the same time.
🌞
May 25, 2024 at 4:44 pm
Loads to be found in that and loads of relentless b.s.
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