Fraud investigator looking at Brooklyn Park home health care agency

Updated: May 13, 2010 - 9:52 PM

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A Brooklyn Park home health care agency has fallen under the scrutiny of state fraud investigators after they determined that its owner overbilled Medicaid by $8,000 for services, according to a Hennepin County search warrant affidavit.

The overbilling by the Divine Love Home Care Services for personal care assistants and private-duty nurses occurred in the first five months of 2009, according to court records, but a state fraud investigator said he wanted to look at records before and after that period. "Given the persistent nature of Divine's overbilling practices identified so far, the potential dollar amount of the fraud could be substantial," wrote Scott Rambeck, an investigator with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the state attorney general's office.

Between Nov. 1, 2008, and March 30 of this year, the agency billed $440,000 for personal care assistants and $33,000 for private duty nurses, Rambeck reported. On May 6, backed by a warrant, he collected time sheets, client billing records, time cards, $4,026 in cash and other business records.

A phone call to a number registered to the owner of Divine Love was not answered Thursday evening.

MATT MCKinney