An operator of Austin-area standalone emergency medical centers has agreed to a settlement of federal allegations that it inflated claims for COVID-19 testing and related services during the pandemic.
Austin Emergency Center and several affiliated companies, which operate multiple facilities in the Austin area, will pay $429,231 to resolve claims that they overbilled the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program between 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas said last week.
Federal prosecutors said the company charged the federal program more than it charged cash-paying patients for certain COVID-19 tests and improperly “upcoded” claims to receive larger reimbursements by billing for higher-level services than were actually provided during drive-through screenings…