Rural/Metro Corporation has agreed to pay the United States $650,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare for ambulance transports. According to the settlement agreement, from January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2016, Rural/Metro submitted claims to Medicare for basic life support, non-emergency services performed in the Middle District of Florida, which the United States contends lacked medical necessity because the patients who were transported either did not qualify for such services or did not require ambulance transport. As such, these services were non-reimbursable by Medicare. The United States also contends that the reasons for these transports was improperly documented.
