A law firm with offices in Gaithersburg will pay $250,000 to the United States following allegations it didn’t reimburse the government for certain Medicare payments, according to a settlement announced this week.
Meyers, Rodbell & Rosenbaum P.A., failed to pay back Medicare after a client received a settlement from a malpractice case, according to an announcement from federal prosecutors.
Medicare made conditional payments to a client of the firm in and before 2012, who then received a $1.15 million medical malpractice settlement in 2015, according to prosecutors. Medicare then demanded repayment of its initial payments, but the firm refused to pay, the prosecutors said.
The Medicare statute and regulations state the program can make conditional payments for services under certain circumstances, with the requirement that the money is paid back once the injured person receives a settlement or judgement.
“Attorneys typically receive settlement proceeds for and disburse settlement proceeds to their clients, so they are often in the best position to ensure that Medicare’s conditional payments are repaid,” U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur said in a statement. “We intend to hold attorneys accountable for failing to make good on their obligations to repay Medicare for its conditional payments.”
The firm will have to designate a person as responsible for paying Medicare secondary payer debts, train them to ensure timely payment and review any debts at least every six months, according to terms announced by prosecutors.
Meyers, Rodbell & Rosenbaum P.A., which also has offices in Prince George’s County, did not respond to requests for comment.
