For Immediate Release:
Monday, April 19, 2021
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today announced a settlement to resolve allegations against Kingsley Ugochukwu, M.D. and Angier Pediatric and Adult Medical Center (Angier) involving the submission of fraudulent claims to the North Carolina Medicaid program. Dr. Ugochukwu and Angier have agreed to pay back $60,000 to the program.
“Health care providers cannot waste taxpayer money on unnecessary, unauthorized tests and procedures,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “My office will continue to hold accountable providers who cheat the Medicaid program.”
In his practice, Dr. Ugochukwu administered tests that weren’t medically necessary, had no supporting clinical documentation, and/or were performed in violation of Medicaid policy. Between Jan. 1, 2016, and April 30, 2020, he tested for rare autonomic nervous function disorders that should only be tested for after a clinician suspects a disorder and only once per Medicaid beneficiary. He also tested for diminished peripheral arterial pulses through peripheral vascular tests.
This investigation and settlement stemmed from the Medicaid Investigations Division’s continuing data mining efforts on Medicaid providers who are engaged in aberrant billing practices involving a wide variety of specialties, including, but not limited to, dental practitioners, internal and family medicine, and OB/GYN providers. The settlement was obtained by the Medicaid Investigations Division and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance – Clinical Policy and Program Integrity.
About the Medicaid Investigations Division (MID)
The Attorney General’s MID investigates fraud and abuse by health care companies and providers, as well as patient abuse and neglect in facilities that are funded by Medicaid. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that helps provide medical care for people with limited income. To date, the MID has recovered more than $900 million in restitution and penalties for North Carolina.
The Medicaid Investigations Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $6,160,252 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2020. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $2,053,414 for FY 2020, is funded by the State of North Carolina.
To report Medicaid fraud in North Carolina, call the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division at 919-881-2320.
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