Aleca Home Health in Washington state paid $94,574 after employing three unlicensed individuals whose nursing services were billed to federal healthcare programs.

Aleca Home Health (Washington State) — Three Unlicensed Nurses Billed to Medicare (2024)

Outcome: Encore Home Health LLC d/b/a Aleca Home Health, a Washington state home health agency, paid $94,574 after self-disclosing that three unlicensed nurses provided home health services that were billed to federal healthcare programs.

Aleca Home Health voluntarily disclosed the violation to the OIG. The agency employed three individuals who worked as nurses providing home health care services to patients, but who did not hold valid nursing licenses during their service periods. The full salary and benefits paid to all three nurses during their unlicensed periods was used to calculate the civil monetary penalty of $94,574.07.

Home health agencies participating in Medicare must ensure that all clinical staff hold current, valid professional licenses as a Condition of Participation. The responsibility for verifying licensure at hiring and monitoring for any changes in license status rests with the agency. This case involved three separate instances of the same compliance failure.

Primary Source: OIG Enforcement Record