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Administrator’s Sentence For Medicare Fraud Not Reduced

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FEBRUARY 10, 2003 VOLUME 10, NUMBER 32

Medicare, the federal health care program for seniors and the disabled, has very clear rules prohibiting providers from paying referral fees. The rules are in place to help prevent fraud and abuse of the giant Medicare program and its funding. Over the four decades the program has existed, however, many providers have tried to skirt—or have blatantly violated—the Medicare Antikickback Act.

Baptist Medical Center, in Kansas City, wanted to ensure that it had a steady stream of senior patients coming into the facility. One way to accomplish that would be to work out a regular relationship with Drs. (and brothers) Robert and Ronald LaHue, who operated a busy geriatric practice under the name Blue Valley Medical Group.

To encourage referrals to Baptist Medical Center, administrators hired the brothers as “Co-Directors of Gerontology Services,” for $150,000 per year. As expected, a steady stream of referrals for Medicare-reimbursed services flowed immediately to the hospital. The doctors, meanwhile, did little work to earn their fees.

One of the administrators involved in negotiating (and later renegotiating) the agreement with the Drs. LaHue was Senior Vice President Dennis McClatchey. He oversaw negotiations with the doctors in 1991 and 1992, when Baptist Medical was being bought out by Health Midwest. During those negotiations, if not earlier, he learned that the brothers were not providing $150,000 worth of service to Baptist, and that some staff members in fact wanted nothing to do with them. Still, he saw to it that their contract was renewed.

The LaHues and Mr. McClatchey were tried and convicted for violation of the Medicare Antikickback Act, and the convictions were upheld by a federal appellate court. At sentencing, the District Court decided to reduce Mr. McClatchey’s sentence. The trial judge determined that Mr. McClatchey’s 22-year-old son, who suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a host of other psychiatric illnesses, required full-time care. The judge also found that Mr. McClatchey’s criminal behavior was totally out of character, based on his past history. His sentence was reduced to three years’ probation, home detention for six months, and a $30,000 fine.

The government appealed the sentence reduction, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that a stronger sentence should be imposed. Although care of his son was a concern, his wife remained at home and could take that responsibility, said the court. As for his past good behavior, the court noted that his criminal behavior stretched over a period of several years. The case was remanded with instructions to eliminate the sentencing reduction. United States v. McClatchey, January 16, 2003.

The Medicare fraud case ended even more tragically for Dr. Robert LaHue. In February, 2002, just two days before he was to report to federal prison to begin serving his own 70-month sentence, Dr. LaHue was killed when the Chevrolet Metro he was driving drifted left of the center-line and struck an oncoming tractor-trailer. Dr. Ronald LaHue, meanwhile, was sentenced to 51 months in prison, as was Dan Anderson, the Chief Executive Officer of Baptist Medical Center.

One Response

  1. So what you are saying is that the President of Baptist Medical was fined and sentenced for something the Vice President of Baptist Medical did? That doesn’t seem quite right.

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Robert B. Fleming

Attorney

Robert Fleming is a Fellow of both the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been certified as a Specialist in Estate and Trust Law by the State Bar of Arizona‘s Board of Legal Specialization, and he is also a Certified Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Robert has a long history of involvement in local, state and national organizations. He is most proud of his instrumental involvement in the Special Needs Alliance, the premier national organization for lawyers dealing with special needs trusts and planning.

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Elizabeth N.R. Friman

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Elizabeth Noble Rollings Friman is a principal and licensed fiduciary at Fleming & Curti, PLC. Elizabeth enjoys estate planning and helping families navigate trust and probate administrations. She is passionate about the fiduciary work that she performs as a trustee, personal representative, guardian, and conservator. Elizabeth works with CPAs, financial professionals, case managers, and medical providers to tailor solutions to complex family challenges. Elizabeth is often called upon to serve as a neutral party so that families can avoid protracted legal conflict. Elizabeth relies on the expertise of her team at Fleming & Curti, and as the Firm approaches its third decade, she is proud of the culture of care and consideration that the Firm embodies. Finding workable solutions to sensitive and complex family challenges is something that Elizabeth and the Fleming & Curti team do well.

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Amy Farrell Matheson has worked as an attorney at Fleming & Curti since 2006. A member of the Southern Arizona Estate Planning Council, she is primarily responsible for estate planning and probate matters.

Amy graduated from Wellesley College with a double major in political science and English. She is an honors graduate of Suffolk University Law School and has been admitted to practice in Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, and the District of Columbia.

Prior to joining Fleming & Curti, Amy worked for American Public Television in Boston, and with the international trade group at White & Case, LLP, in Washington, D.C.

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Matthew is a law clerk who recently earned his law degree from the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. His undergraduate degree is in psychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Matthew has had a passion for advocacy in the Tucson community since his time as a law student representative in the Workers’ Rights Clinic. He also has worked in both the Pima County Attorney’s Office and the Pima County Public Defender’s Office. He enjoys playing basketball, caring for his cat, and listening to audiobooks narrated by the authors.