NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The state attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has arrested 20 personal care attendants as part of a crackdown on provider fraud in the New Orleans area.
Agents started an investigation after receiving a tip about potential fraud by attendants who serviced a senior residential facility in New Orleans. After comparing service logs submitted to the provider agencies by the attendants to mandatory sign-in logs at the facility, investigators identified numerous attendants from four different providers who allegedly cheated the Medicaid program by submitting fraudulent claims for payment for services that were never rendered.
Personal care attendants are hired by Medicaid providers to care for physically handicapped and disabled Medicaid recipients.
Agents on Wednesday estimated the total alleged fraud at $150,000 over the span of about a year.
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