Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces $40.5 Million Settlement With Durable Medical Equipment Provider Apria Healthcare For Fraudulent Billing Practices

Apria Admits It Continued to Seek Reimbursement from Federal Programs When It Did Not Know If Patients Were Continuing to Use Their Non-Invasive Ventilator Rentals and After It Had Information Indicating That Patients Had Stopped Using Their Ventilators

Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Scott Lampert, the Special Agent in Charge for the New York Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS-OIG"), Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the U.S. Department of Defense - Office of Inspector General's Defense Criminal Investigative Service ("DCIS"), and Norbert E. Vint, Deputy Inspector General Performing the Duties of the Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management Office of the Inspector General ("OPM OIG"), announced today a $40.5 million settlement of a fraud lawsuit against Apria Healthcare Group, Inc. and its affiliate, Apria Healthcare LLC (together, "Apria"), a large durable medical equipment ("DME") provider with approximately 300 branch offices located throughout the United States. The lawsuit alleges, among other claims, that Apria submitted false claims to federal health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, seeking reimbursement for the rental of costly non-invasive ventilators ("NIVs") to program beneficiaries who were not using the NIVs such that the devices were not medically necessary or that involved the improper waiver of patient co-insurance payments.

Read more on www.justice.gov

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