Fugitive Porter Ranch physician sentenced to prison in $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme
Fugitive Porter Ranch physician sentenced to prison in $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme
A Porter Ranch physician was sentenced Thursday to more than four years in federal prison for an almost $1.5 million health care fraud scheme arising from false home health certifications and related fraudulent billings to Medicare.
Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, is a fugitive and was sentenced in downtown Los Angeles in absentia, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to court documents, Baltaian was a physician licensed to practice in California and an enrolled Medicare provider. From about January 2012 to July 2018, she falsely certified patients to receive home health care from at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies.
These certifications were used by the agencies to fraudulently bill Medicare. In some instances, Baltaian pre-signed blank, undated physician certification forms knowing that the home health agencies would falsify the forms to make appear that she had seen the Medicare beneficiaries and made clinical findings to support the need for home care, when she had done neither, according to the DOJ.
Baltaian received cash payments related to these referrals and also separately billed Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications, federal prosecutors said.
During the scheme, four home health agencies used Baltaian’s false certifications to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, resulting in loss to the government estimated at nearly $1.5 million.
Baltaian pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to one count of health care fraud in November 2024. At sentencing, she was also ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million in restitution.
With Beyoncé's Grammy Wins, Black Women in Country Are Finally Getting Their Due
February 17, 2025
Bad Bunny's "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" Tells Puerto Rico's History
February 17, 2025
Comments 0