An investigation has uncovered that a New Jersey medical group, Honor Health Network, is involved in dubious Medicaid billing practices totaling $950 million for home health care and adult day care services. A particular operation, Broadway Respite and Home Care in Fair Lawn, billed Medicaid $157 million from 89,000 patients over six years, despite only 20,000 elderly Medicaid recipients residing in the county.
Broadway Adult Day Care also billed Medicaid $40 million between 2018 and 2024 for 28,000 patients. A former Medicaid fraud investigator described the figures as suspicious, due to inconsistencies in the patient numbers and billing practices.
The home care industry, which utilizes Medicaid funding to care for homebound seniors, is frequently targeted by scammers, federal authorities say. Two more entities from Honor Health, Quality Healthcare and Quality Family Care in Brooklyn, billed $396 million from 2018 to 2024, with complaints from clients about the quality of care.
At Broadway Respite & Home Care, located at 17-17 Broadway, there have been accusations of inadequate care. Serena Abekassis, a former client, reported neglect and theft by caregivers. Her children corroborated these claims, raising concerns about the employees’ behavior.
Honor Health Network includes several operations across eight states, with revenues totaling over $950 million in Medicaid disbursements during a six-year period, yet shows no formal accusations of wrongdoing. However, they have not responded to repeated requests for comment, and some branches have reported typical billing patterns.
Examples of dubious billing practices were exposed by the investigation, with facilities often utilizing a single billing code for millions of claims; this may indicate fraudulent activity. They also highlighted discrepancies in the Medicaid qualification of patients based in wealthier counties like Bergen County.
Yuri Mitchell, the administrator of Broadway Respite & Home Care, was unable to offer insight into patient numbers and billing, attributing financial matters to the corporate financial department.
Fred Dennis voiced lack of transparency regarding billing, noting discrepancies between the services promised and those delivered by First Horizons Home Health Care in Indianapolis.
Honor Health Network, according to its website, controls multiple facilities in New Jersey, raising $31.7 million from 18,000 patients and over $144 million from others.
Former owner Errol Seltzer remarked that financial motivation may overshadow service in these businesses. Raids and investigations continue into suspected fraudulent Medicaid billing practices, suggesting an industry-wide issue.
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