Mr. Shahab helped finance and establish two Detroit-area home health agencies — Patient Choice Home Healthcare and All American Home Care Inc. (All American) — and, while operating the companies, billed Medicare $10,856,130 in claims for home health visits, many of which allegedly never occurred, according to the release.
Mr. Shahab admitted that he and his co-conspirators recruited and paid cash kickbacks and other inducements to Medicare beneficiaries, in exchange for the beneficiaries’ Medicare numbers and signatures on documents falsely indicating that they had visited Patient Choice and All American for the purpose of receiving physical or occupational therapy.
Mr. Shahab also admitted to securing physician referrals for medically unnecessary home health services through the payment of kickbacks to physicians or individuals associated with physicians. He employed several physical therapists and physical therapy assistants to sign medical documentation necessary to begin billing for home healthcare services, including initial payments and payments for each visit to a Medicare beneficiary. Mr. Shahab admitted that he knew the physical therapists and physical therapy assistants were not actually conducting a large majority of the visits or treating a large majority of the patients. He also admitted to billing and receiving payment from Medicare for the services not rendered or medically unnecessary services.
Mr. Shahab faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Read the Department of Justice’s release on Muhammad Shahab.
