Portland Home Healthcare Company and Owner Settle False Claims Act Allegations

Portland, Maine:  United States Attorney Halsey B. Frank today announced that a Portland home healthcare company and its owner have agreed to pay $111,200.46 to settle allegations that they violated the False Claims Act.

The civil settlement agreement with the United States and the State of Maine resolves allegations that Noble Home Health Care, Inc. (“Noble”) and its owner Mohamed A. Hassan (“Hassan”), submitted false claims to MaineCare (Maine’s Medicaid program) from May 2016 through September 2016. MaineCare is primarily funded by the United States, which pays approximately two-thirds of all reimbursed claims.

As alleged in a civil complaint filed today, Noble and Hassan submitted false claims for reimbursement to MaineCare for services provided to children with mental health diagnoses despite the fact that Noble did not hold the necessary mental health licensure to bill for such services. The United States and Maine contended that Maine Department of Health and Human Services (“Maine DHHS”) officials informed Hassan several times that Noble could neither provide nor bill for mental health services for its clients. Despite this, for nearly five months Noble and Hassan sought and received MaineCare funds for non-reimbursable, unlicensed services provided to 45 MaineCare members with mental health diagnoses. Hassan subsequently admitted to Maine DHHS that he had to pay MaineCare back for the services Noble had provided without a license.       

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General; the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maine; and the Office of the Maine Attorney General investigated the case. The civil action is docketed United States & State of Maine v. Noble Home Health Care, Inc. et al., 20-cv-00204-GZS (D. Me.).