Department of Health

Medicaid Payments to Signature Health Center, LLC

Signature Health Center, LLC is a diagnostic and treatment center with offices in the Bronx and Hempstead, New York. Between January 1, 2001 and May 31, 2006, Signature received payment for nearly 195,000 Medicaid claims totaling $25 million. We audited certain of these payments to determine whether Signature was overpaid for recipients who were eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, and whether Signature providers inappropriately prescribed medications outside of their medical specialties.

We found that Signature frequently billed Medicaid for services that were covered (and reimbursed) by Medicare, and as a result, received at least $831,000, and as much as $1,268,000, in Medicaid overpayments. We recommended that these payments be investigated and all overpayments recovered. We also referred the matter to the Office of the New York State Attorney General for investigation. Additionally, we identified a number of instances in which podiatrists working at Signature prescribed medications which appeared to be outside their specialty. We referred this matter separately to the State Education Department’s Office of Professional Discipline. On the basis of both our audit findings and its own independently derived findings, the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General terminated Signature’s participation in the Medicaid program.

For a complete copy of Report 2006-S-59 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.
For a copy of the associated follow-up report click here.