Hart To Heart Lawsuit Alleges Medicare Fraud

BALTIMORE, MD — A former employee of Forest Hill-based Hart to Heart Transportation Services has filed a lawsuit alleging the company committed Medicare fraud by billing for millions of dollars for trips that were not medically necessary. The lawsuit was filed in 2013, unsealed in 2015, stayed in 2017 and is set to go to trial this spring, according to court filings.

Heart to Heart owners John and Terry Skidmore are accused of submitting false claims to Medicare saying ambulance transport was required when it was not. Vice President Richard Skidmore allegedly directed employees to create false records and threatened to suspend or terminate those who would not go along with the plan.

The attorney for the private ambulance company says the claims are inaccurate. "... the Hart to Heart defendants deny all allegations of wrongdoing," Jonathan Biran wrote in a letter requesting postponing proceedings in 2017 and asking that documents related to the case be placed under seal.

"Hart to Heart remains hopeful that ... the government will determine that the relator’s allegations are inaccurate in material respects," Biran said.

The whistleblower who brought the case was former employee Bryan Arvey of Salisbury, who alleged that the ambulance company and Peninsula Regional Medical Center had ambulatory patients ready to be discharged lie down in their hospital beds so that Hart to Heart could strap them down and justify transporting them.

The medical center told Delmarva Now that it was investigating the claims and could not comment further.

See the full story from Delmarva Now.

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