A California physician pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to criminal healthcare fraud, arising from her false home health certifications and related fraudulent billings to Medicare. According to court documents, Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, of Porter Ranch, was a physician licensed to practice in California and an enrolled Medicare provider. From approximately January 2012 through July 2018, Baltaian falsely certified patients to receive home healthcare from at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies. Baltaian’s false certifications were used by the home health agencies to fraudulently bill Medicare for the unnecessary home healthcare. In some instances, Baltaian pre-signed blank, undated physician certification forms knowing that the home health agencies would later falsify the forms to make it appear as if she saw the Medicare beneficiaries and made clinical findings to support the need for home healthcare, when she had not done either. Baltaian received cash benefits related to these referrals and also submitted claims to Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications. Between January 2012 and July 2018, four home health agencies used Baltaian’s false certifications to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, resulting in loss to Medicare of at least $1,449,050.
