An Illinois ambulance company settled allegations of billing Medicare for unnecessary, non-emergency ambulance transportation by agreeing to pay $302,124.37.

According to a Nov. 23 U.S. Department of Justice news release, HealthOne Critical Care Transport Service Inc., of Marion, inappropriately billed Medicare for scheduled ambulance transportation of patients to dialysis treatments from its former location in Mount Vernon, Ill. These trips reportedly did not meet Medicare requirements.

“Billing for unnecessary ambulance transports wastes taxpayer dollars and drains critical funds from the Medicare program,” U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe said in a statement. “Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of federal health care programs.”

An Illinois ambulance company settled allegations of billing Medicare for unnecessary, non-emergency ambulance transportation by agreeing to pay $302,124.37. | Pixabay

According to the release, three times a week, sometimes for years, MedicOne would pick up patients from their homes or nursing homes and drive them to and from their dialysis appointments. It was alleged the services were not medically necessary, especially when the patients could have safely traveled to medical appointments and social outings in other ways, like personal vehicles, medical transport cars and wheelchair vans.

“Health care providers that bill Medicare for medically unnecessary services improperly divert funds needed to care for beneficiaries while increasing the financial burden on taxpayers," Special Agent in Charge Curt L. Muller of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said in the release. "Along with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate health care schemes to protect the integrity of federal health care programs.”