Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has taken a stand against price gouging in Massachusetts, striking settlements with three temporary nurse staffing agencies accused of overcharging long-term care facilities. According to a press release from her office, the agencies supposedly charged rates beyond what's permitted by the state health authorities, with Lawrence Recruiting Specialists, Inc, from Nebraska agreeing to fork over $200,000 in refunds and penalties, while Maryland's Maxim Healthcare Staffing Services, Inc., will reimburse roughly $1,500 and cough up $55,000 in damages, Belmont's Nursing on Demand, LLC, will settle up by paying back $7,388.69 to the care facilities they overbilled.
Calling out what the AG described as "unfair or deceptive" behavior under the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act, Campbell is pushing back against these agencies that allegedly failed to stick to the pricing playbook laid down by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). The heavy-handed financial penalties include a sizable $125,000 civil slug for Lawrence Recruiting Specialists, and while Maxim gets off with a lighter load of dough to return, the message is clear; the crackdown is serious, with Nursing on Demand also wrapping a corporate compliance program into their mea culpa - this includes training for employees and stamping in new auditing and monitoring practices.
AG Campbell quoted, "Affordability continues to be a major challenge for Massachusetts residents and their loved ones seeking long-term care, and my office will continue to hold accountable those who seek to take advantage in an already fragile and high-cost system." The settlements mandate that each agency hews closely to the rate regulations henceforth, aiming to ensure no re-run of such overcharging antics. In March last year, Campbell's office issued an advisory following reports that some nurse staffing agencies were running the meter too high, trying to siphon off extra fees from long-term care facilities.
Taking the reins on these cases were Deputy Chief Kevin Lownds, Assistant Attorney General Kevin O’Keefe, Senior Healthcare Fraud Investigator Shelby Stephens, and Investigator Kathleen Tansey, all from the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division, they worked in concert with the Department of Public Health (DPH), which dished out considerable assistance during the investigations, emphasizing a solid front in regulating the practices of temporary nurse staffing services, those experiencing issues with such agencies can reach out to the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division or the DPH Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification to file their concerns.
Funding for the AG's Medicaid Fraud Division for the fiscal year 2024 is largely provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to the tune of $5,865,996, while the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shells out the remaining 25 percent, auguring the division's sustained ability to pursue cases like these and protect Massachusetts' healthcare consumers.
