California doctor arrested on suspicion of Medicare fraud totaling $6 million

A Porter Ranch woman is facing criminal charges of creating phony home health care certifications that led to more than $6 million in fraudulent billings to Medicare, federal authorities announced Friday, May 7.

Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 58, who was arrested Thursday, fraudulently certified patients to receive care from four separate home health agencies, two in Glendale and two in Panorama City, federal authorities said. Those agencies would then file claims for reimbursement with Medicare for services that were either not necessary or were never provided, prosecutors said.

Baltaian would receive cash benefits from the home health agencies for the referrals, prosecutors alleged. She also submitted her own claims for reimbursement to Medicare for certifications and for patient visits and injections that were not provided, they said.

The doctor faces four charges of health care fraud and could receive a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison if convicted on all counts.

Baltaian, who operated two medical clinics in Tujunga and Reseda, allegedly ran the scheme from January 2012 to July 2018, authorities said.

Following an in-person assessment, physicians, registered nurses or qualified therapists can certify patients for home care from a home health agency if they are confined to their home by their illness or injury and did not need the level of care provided by a hospital or residential skilled nursing facility.

Home health services could include changing wound dressings, giving injections or teaching a patient’s family member to properly care for their loved one after being discharged from a hospital. The home health agency would then file a claim with Medicare for reimbursement if the services met requirements, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors allege Baltaian and the home health agencies knew the certifications were false, or not necessary, before the agencies submitted claims to Medicare.

It was not immediately known how many claims were submitted by the home health agencies. It was also not immediately known if the agencies could face charges for their roles in the fraudulent scheme.

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