Politics & Government
Newton Company Agrees To Settle With AG For $27K
Owner of Health Line Transport Richard Peisch agreed to settle to resolve allegations his company used ride-shares to transport patients.
Company settles for improper MassHealth billing, transporting patients via ride-share services
NEWTON, MA — A transportation company in Newton agreed to settle a lawsuit in which authorities said the company was supposed to be driving wheelchair-bound patients to medical appointments, but was really having them use ride-share services and then billing MassHealth for the transports, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.
Richard Peisch, owner of Universal Sequence, Health Line Transport Inc., agreed to pay more than $27,000 to settle a lawsuit filed against him by the Massachusetts Attorney General.
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Healey said the company, which is based at the corner of Adams' and Watertown streets, billed MassHealth for wheelchair van rides it did not provide. Instead, Healey said the company had customers be transported by ride share companies such as Uber and Lyft, violating MassHealth regulations from 2014 to 2017. In addition, authorities accused Health Line to have submitted claims for transportation services while the MassHealth member it was supposed to be transported was at an inpatient facility on the date of the claimed ride.
MassHealth provides non-emergency transportation services to help people get to doctors appointments and other medical services when public or personal transportation is not available or not suitable because of a person's physical condition and circumstances. MassHealth only covers transportation providers that offer non-emergency wheelchair van services to people in wheelchairs; need to be carried up or down stairs or require the assistance of two persons; or have severe mobility handicaps that prevent them from using public transportation, dial-a-ride, or taxi transportation.
Find out what's happening in Newtonfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In November, Michael Davini, the owner of Rite Way Transportation company, was sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to charges in connection with a scheme to steal millions from MassHealth by way of kickbacks and billing for services not rendered.
As part of the settlement, the Newton company will be barred from participating in MassHealth, Healey said.
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