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星期二, 1月 09, 2018
2018胡桃山音樂營排定7/19-8/12
AG HEALEY SUES MENTAL HEALTH CENTER FOR ILLEGALLY BILLING MASSHEALTH FOR UNLICENSED AND UNSUPERVISED PATIENT CARE
AG HEALEY SUES MENTAL HEALTH CENTER FOR ILLEGALLY BILLING MASSHEALTH FOR UNLICENSED AND UNSUPERVISED PATIENT CARE
Allegations Concern 17 Mental Health Facilities Across Massachusetts
BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey has sued South Bay Mental Health Center, Inc. (SBMHC) for fraudulently billing the state’s Medicaid Program, known as MassHealth, for mental health care services provided to patients by unlicensed, unqualified, and unsupervised staff members at clinics across the state.
“This company provided substandard care to many vulnerable patients and fraudulently billed the state for its inadequate services,” said AG Healey. “MassHealth members deserve competent treatment from qualified individuals, and our office will continue to take action in order to remove these significant barriers to accessing critical mental health care in our state.”
SBMHC operates mental health facilities across the state including in Attleboro, Brockton, Cape Cod, Chelsea, Dorchester, Fall River, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Salem, Springfield, Weymouth, and Worcester.
The AG’s investigation into these allegations began after a whistleblower lawsuit was filed by a former SBMHC employee in August 2015 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
The AG’s investigation revealed that SBMHC had a widespread pattern of employing unlicensed, unqualified, and unsupervised staff at its mental health facilities in violation of MassHealth regulations. The complaint alleges that by submitting claims to MassHealth for mental health services provided by unlicensed and unsupervised personnel, the company submitted fraudulent claims in violation of the Massachusetts False Claims Act.
The AG’s Office alleges that all of the 17 clinics named in the complaint featured significant gaps in licensing and supervision of therapists during the relevant time period. Many of the employees at SBMHC clinics who were performing mental health services did not have degrees in social work (and therefore were not even license-eligible) and instead had degrees in such areas as expressive therapy, art therapy, creative arts therapy, school counseling, somatic counseling, and agency counseling. For example, the Attleboro Clinic, which had 125 employees, had only two licensed supervisors who could not have possibly provided the necessary supervision to all of the other unlicensed clinicians.
From August 2009 to the present, MassHealth and its contracted managed care entities paid SBMHC more than $123 million for outpatient services including mental health counseling, such as psychiatric diagnostic evaluations and psychotherapy. The AG’s Office estimates that a significant portion of that $123 million was based on fraudulent claims for services rendered by unlicensed, unqualified, and unsupervised staff to more than 30,000 MassHealth members.
The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court against SBMHC and Peter J. Scanlon, who founded and owned the company until April 2012. The complaint also names H.I.G. Growth Partners, LLC and H.I.G. Capital, LLC (collectively, HIG), which created Community Intervention Services (CIS) to acquire SBMHC from Scanlon, as well as co-founder and CEO of CIS, Kevin P. Sheehan.
The AG’s Office alleges that HIG, CIS, Scanlon, and Sheehan knew that SBMHC was providing services in violation of regulatory requirements and did not bring SMBHC operations into compliance or make any attempts to repay the money owed to MassHealth, as required by law. HIG allegedly cited the large profit margins as a reason to acquire the company.
MassHealth pays for mental health services provided to MassHealth members by qualified clinicians and counselors who are subject to certain licensure and supervision requirements. Mental health centers that employ those rendering mental health services must comply with certain core staffing and supervision requirements set out in applicable regulations.
Through this lawsuit, the AG’s Office is seeking treble damages, civil penalties, and prejudgment interest.
This case is being handled by Assistant Attorneys General Robyn Dollar, Gregory Matthews, and Kevin Lownds, along with Investigations Supervisors Denise Long and Lisa Bailey and Auditor Kaleigh Ross, all of the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with substantial assistance from Special Agent Joseph Losavio of the Office of the Inspector General.
星期日, 1月 07, 2018
紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊連任就職典禮(謝開明圖片輯)
謝開明圖片專輯
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPEJgsJ2gbxfdVwRQn4OtyIoWF8NzVMd3_ZGmaWAzIrF7JDgEiQRFFy-sGkWiKSLQ?key=a3YyNGtpXzcwOW9NdThCdmJaQU1YRkY1X0o5VUJB
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| 陳家驊連任紐英崙中華公所主席，就職致詞。 |
紐英崙中華公所新屆職員，左起，雷國輝，珠蘇珊，陳家驊，
陳文浩，周樹昂。
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駐波士頓經濟文化辦事處處長賴銘琪(左)頒賀狀
給紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊。
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| 駐波士頓經濟文化辦事處處長賴銘琪致詞。 |
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| 駐波士頓經濟文化辦事處副處長陳銘俊致詞。 |
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左起，張桂英，謝如鍵，陳裕逢等客家鄉親和波士頓僑務委員
蔣宗壬(右二)。
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| 麻州眾議員麥家威(Aaron Michlewitz)致詞。 |
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| 右起，陳裕禮，麥家威，陳毓璇，蔣宗壬，陳銘俊與僑界大眾觀禮。 |
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| 陳家驊剛動過手術，拄著拐杖出席就職典禮。左為雷國輝。 |
波克來台灣商會蘇鴻昌卸任 楊羅東接會長
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駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦處處長賴銘琪(中)主李會長交接。蘇鴻昌
(右)卸任，楊羅東(左)接任。
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左起，顧問游勝雄，經文處副處長陳銘俊，新聞組副組長趙昌倫，
卸任會長蘇鴻昌，經文處處長賴銘琪，財務長郭競儒，新任會長
楊羅東，僑教中心主任歐宏偉夫婦合影。
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(Boston Orange)麻州波克萊台灣商會1月6日在玉園餐廳舉辦2018新春年會，邀得駐波士頓經文處處長賴銘琪為會長交接主禮，共72名長官，嘉賓到會，見證蘇鴻昌卸任，歡迎楊羅東上任。
在年會中，蘇鴻昌感恩該會同仁過去兩年來的支持，讓他得以帶領該會完成許多任務，包括接待了從台灣來參加波士頓馬拉松賽的59名選手，募款6000美金賑濟德州Harvey颶風災民。他還特地感謝了2018年度接待馬拉松選手活動的贊助者，今年已募得5650元。
駐波士頓經文處處長賴銘琪，副處長陳銘俊，波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉，新聞組副組長趙昌倫等嘉賓都應邀致詞。歐宏偉報告了僑民證的申請辦法與優惠內容，肇昌倫預報今年4月14日將有159名馬拉松選手會到波士頓參賽，陣容強大，將大幅提升台灣知名度。
北美洲台灣商會聯合總會婦女工作主任委員郭競儒，也在會上報告，北美洲台灣商會聯合總會將在今年2月1-3日，於檀香山皇家夏威夷酒店(Honolulu Royal
Hawaiian Hotel )舉行第30屆第2次理監事聯席會議，並有可愛島，茂宜島，火山島等六種行程搭配的會後旅遊。
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世界台灣商會聯合總會資深顧問游勝雄報告，該會於2017年9月24至26日在高雄市展覽館舉行了第23屆第3次及第24屆第1次理監事聯席會議，選出北美洲林貴香為第24屆總會長及大洋洲許明芳為監事長。今年3月8至12日，將在舊金山舉行第24屆第2次理監事聯席會議，會後有美國西岸南巨環世界奇觀七日遊，墨西哥郵輪游等旅遊活動。北美洲總會由會長吳光宜報告了第二次理監事聯席會議訂今年2月1至3日在於檀香山皇家夏威夷酒店(Honolulu
Royal Hawaiian Hotel)舉行。
波克萊台灣商會當天還在會上介紹了該會幹各有專長，組成了商務商機交流平台，包括會長楊羅東(電腦專家)，副會長鄭建盛，秘書長陳玉瑛，副祕書長劉秀春，財務長郭競儒，釣魚隊長游家霖，醫護組長張文欽，邱漢烈，舞蹈班長羅靜春，高爾夫球隊長蘇鴻昌，稅務服務組劉秀春，產業營運組的協和鋁門窗曾有良，ACON公司總裁林清文，投資理財組羅靜春，蘇鴻昌，Aufhauser紐約股票證券總裁吳碧倉，聖地牙哥金融財務保險事務所鄭莉容，工商地產組游勝雄，林元孝，住宅地產組李淑玲，關懷慰訪組林約瑟，青商會員組賴文照，攝影照相組石明軒，胡文驥，藥劑專業組林上填，蕭淑姜，牙醫專業組陳源清，李孟潔。餐館專業組洪榮倫，徐曉玲，旅館專業組周閔，教育專業組李豐盛，楊羅東，法律專業組有波克萊台商會創會會員，現為舊金山台商會會長的律師林政原等。
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