Amedisys Georgia LLC, doing business as Central Home Health Care, paid $29,236 after self-disclosing that it billed Medicare for home health services provided by an unlicensed nurse.

Amedisys Georgia / Central Home Health Care — Unlicensed Nurse Billed to Medicare (2024)

Outcome: Amedisys Georgia LLC, doing business as Central Home Health Care, paid $29,236.86 after self-disclosing to the OIG that it had billed Medicare for home health nursing services provided by a nurse who did not hold a valid nursing license.

Amedisys Georgia, operating as Central Home Health Care in Georgia, is an affiliate of Amedisys Inc., one of the largest home health companies in the United States. The entity employed a nurse who provided home health services to Medicare patients, then submitted claims to Medicare for those services. The nurse lacked a valid nursing license during the period services were rendered.

The organization self-disclosed the violation to the OIG, resulting in a civil monetary penalty of $29,236.86 under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law. The penalty was calculated based on the full salary and benefits paid to the nurse during the unlicensed period. The case reflects that large national home health operators are not immune from license compliance failures — and highlights the need for systematic, automated license monitoring across large nursing staff populations.

Primary Source: OIG Enforcement Record