LabXperior Corporation and its owner, Tina Ball, have forked over $235,000 to settle claims that they improperly billed North Carolina Medicaid for urine drug tests. These tests, which the government asserts were not medically necessary, were also part of an illegal kickback scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The allegations involve LabXperior participating in a kickback arrangement with BPolloni Consulting, LLC, from September 28, 2016, through December 20, 2017. According to a statement obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office, they paid a slice of their Medicaid reimbursements back to BPolloni for every urine drug test referral. This was part of a larger conspiracy that saw officials from BPolloni and Do It 4 the Hood Corporation plead guilty earlier.
The claims are particularly concerning due to the lack of medical necessity. The government stated that the orders for the tests did not reflect a legitimate medical provider's assessment of a patient's actual need for testing. The straightforward nature of the scheme—exchanging kickbacks for tests regardless of their medical validity—highlights the waste of Medicaid funds.
The multi-agency effort to hold LabXperior accountable involved coordinated actions by the FBI, the Medicaid Investigations Division, HHS' Office of Inspector General, and the IRS Criminal Investigations. The public is encouraged to report any suspicions of health care misconduct to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS.
