US authorities have sentenced Henry McInnis, the CEO of a Texas-based group of hospice and home health services provider, to 15 years in prison for fraudulently enrolling patients with long-term incurable diseases in hospice programs they did not qualify for to gain profits. McInnis has been convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, obstruction of justice and health care fraud.
During 2009-18, McInnis and co-conspirators submitted over $150 million in fraudulent claims for hospice and other health care services. McInnis supervised and monitored the operations of the Merida Group, a Texas-based healthcare company. Despite having no medical training, McInnis was the de facto director of nursing for the Merida Group. He asked Merida employees to admit unqualified patients to hospice and home health and enroll them for long durations. He even fired those who refused to follow such orders.
McInnis also engaged in falsifying medical records to hide the scheme and present the enrolled patients as terminally ill. He paid illegal kickbacks to physicians to certify unqualified patients for hospice and home health. He even offered payoffs to vendors who recruited patients for highly expensive hospice services.
Source: US Department of Justice