Four pharmacies located in Jersey City, Bayonne, Union City, and West New York, respectively, have agreed to pay $4,325,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act, U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Counsel Philip Lamparello announced.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
These pharmacies knowingly billing federal health care programs for medications they never dispensed, according to Lamparello.
Per the settlement agreements, inventory records showed that the aforementioned pharmacies didn’t purchase enough medications from wholesalers to fill the prescriptions billed to the federal health care programs.
West New York’s Pan American Inc. agreed to pay $3,100,000 to resolve allegations that from January 2nd, 2015 through January 25th, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program and the New Jersey Medicaid Program for drugs Pan American never dispensed to beneficiaries.
St. Mina and St. Moses Pharmacy, better known as Well Care Pharmacy in Bayonne, agreed to pay $490,000 to resolve allegations that from May 31, 2016 through March 1, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program for drugs the pharmacies never dispensed.
Additionally, Union City’s Farmacia Latina Corp. agreed to pay $375,000 to resolve allegations that from January 2nd, 2015 through January 24th, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program for drugs Farmacia Latina never dispensed.
Finally, Jersey City’s Perfect Care Pharmacy LLC agreed to pay $360,000 to resolve allegations that from January 2nd, 2015 through January 25th, 2022, it caused the submission of claims for reimbursement to the Medicare Part D Program for drugs Perfect Care never dispensed.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, as there has been no determination of liability, explained Lamparello.
The United States is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kruti Dharia and Robert Toll of the Health Care Fraud and Opioids Enforcement Unit.
The government’s pursuit of these matters illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud utilizing things like False Claims Act.
Report tips and complaints about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement to the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-447-8477.
