A Connecticut APRN and his various entities have entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments to pay more than $600,000 to resolve Medicare and Connecticut Medicaid fraud claims.
Armand Ntchana of Alexandria, Louisiana, is the principal member and owner of San Antonio, Texas-based Integrated Procare Services (IPS) LLC (a psychiatric medication management practice located in Wethersfield), Brookside Residential Care Home LLC and 134 Franklin Street Extension, LLC (which formerly operated a state-funded residential care home in Danbury), and Riverview Residential Care Home LLC and 92 Lexington Avenue LLC (which formerly operated a state-funded residential care home in New Haven).
David Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, on Wednesday announced the charges on Wednesday. Ntchana, who is licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in Connecticut Ntchana ceased control of the operations of Brookside and Riverview in 2022 and 2023, respectively, and sold the Brookside Property and the Riverview Property in August 2023.
“Healthcare providers who participate in taxpayer funded healthcare plans have an obligation to bill for services honestly and accurately. We will continue to work with our partners at the state and federal level to hold bad actors accountable and protect public healthcare programs and patients,” said state Attorney General Tong.
The federal and state governments allege that from January 2016 through October 2020, Ntchana and IPS violated the federal and state False Claims Acts by improperly billing Medicare and Connecticut Medicaid for services not rendered, the services of an unlicensed provider, and for upcoded or duplicative claims.
Ntchana and IPS caused false claims to be submitted that listed Ntchana as the rendering provider when, in fact, those services were not actually provided. This included claims billed by Ntchana for impossible numbers of hours per day; when Ntchana was not physically present, including when he was out of the country, on vacation, or not in the office; for patients who were hospitalized or deceased; and for having a staff member call in a medication refill without Ntchana’s interacting directly. Ntchana and IPS created false medical records or had no medical records for such visits, Sullivan charges.
In addition, Ntchana and IPS caused false claims to be submitted that listed Ntchana as the rendering provider when, in fact, the patients were seen by an individual with no qualified health professional license or medical qualifications.
To resolve their liability, Ntchana and his related entities agreed to pay $614,427.51, plus interest, which was based on their ability to pay. Ntchana and IPS have also entered into a Suspension Agreement and Consent Order with the Connecticut Department of Social Services to be suspended from participating in all programs administered by DSS for two years, and to not reapply for reinstatement in Connecticut Medicaid or any state-funded program thereafter.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Gruber, and by Assistant Attorney General Rick Porter of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.
The allegations resolved by today’s settlement stem from an investigation based on a critical analysis of Medicare claims data. People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS.
