Arraignment set for Medicaid fraud case

An arraignment has been set for for a former Southwest Center for Independent Living attendant, stemming from charges that the Greene County woman misused her position to commit Medicaid fraud.

The arraignment for Angela Deanne Adams, 40, is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Dec. 16 in Greene County Circuit Court, according to a news release from the Missouri attorney general's office.

Adams, who worked as a personal care attendant through SCIL under Medicaid's Consumer Directed Services program, was charged in August with six counts of Medicaid fraud.

Adams allegedly caused claims to be submitted to Medicaid for personal care services that wouldn't have been provided, as records show she was working elsewhere during the times she said she was providing those services. The attorney general's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which conducted the investigation, also found Adams allegedly caused claims to be submitted to Medicaid showing that she provided in-home services for patients who were hospitalized, the release said.

Personal care attendants providing services under Medicaid's Consumer Directed Services program are paid to assist Medicaid patients with bathing, dressing and cleaning their homes.

In September, Springfield-based Southwest Center for Independent Living reached a settlement with Attorney General Chris Koster's office, agreeing to pay $43,503 in civil penalties and the costs of investigation, and agreeing to implement quality assurance measures to make sure services billed to Medicaid actually are provided, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

The attorney general's investigation revealed that the company knew or should have known that Adams had not provided the services in several cases. When the settlement was announced, Koster praised the clinic's efforts to correct the situation.

“I appreciate the cooperation of the Southwest Center for Independent Living in this matter, and I am pleased that they have agreed to implement new quality assurance measures to help ensure accurate billing," he said in a news release at the time.[[In-content Ad]]