Video screenshot from WILX
Last week, Anesthesiology Business Consultants, a physician billing and practice management company, was raided by 20 federal agents at their Jackson, Michigan offices. The agents with the Department of Health and Human Services were brought in from Detroit, Philadelphia and New York to perform the investigation.
The investigation also included 10 computer forensic examiners who copied data from company computers and seized physical documents as well. After their arrival, some account managers were asked to stay for questioning, while other workers with the company were instructed to go home.
It has been alleged that Anesthesia Business Consultants is involved in health care fraud in Brooklyn, New York where the company has clients.
“It’s just an allegation at this point. We’ll see where it goes from there,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Napolitano to WLNS News of Lansing, Michigan.
WILX News, also in Lansing, quoted Napolitano giving a little more detail on the nature of the investigation: “We had allegations of health care fraud, including but not limited to the Medicare program, the Medicaid program and some private insurance companies.”
The company, which specializes in billing for anesthesiologists, released the following statement later in the day of the raid:
“Jackson, Mich.-based Anesthesia Business Consultants (ABC) was served with a search warrant today (July 15, 2015). ABC is cooperating in the collection of the requested information and expects that our full staff in Jackson will resume business as usual tomorrow morning and that there will be no disruption of service to our clients.”
Authorities said their investigation should take about a week to complete.