Law Firm to Pay Medicare $250,000 to Settle Claims That It Did Not Properly Reimburse Medicare

According to a recent press release issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, law firm Meyer, Rodbell & Rosenbaum, PA has entered into a settlement agreement with the United States following allegations that it failed to reimburse Medicare for conditional payment claims. The release indicates that Medicare sought reimbursement of a lien for treatment related to the injuries at issue in a 2015 $1.15 million medical malpractice settlement. The release notes that, following Medicare’s demand for repayment, the law firm refused to pay the same, even at the point that the debt became administratively final. In addition to payment of the agreed upon $250,000, the firm must also: (1) designate a person at the firm responsible for paying Medicare secondary payer debts; (2) train the designated employee to ensure that the firm pays these debts on a timely basis; and (3) review any outstanding debts with the designated employee at least every six months to ensure compliance. As you may recall, we reported in July of 2018 that another law firm was similarly sanctioned following an alleged failure to properly reimburse Medicare. The current settlement is further evidence that Medicare compliance issues should be evaluated and handled prior to settlement and, most importantly, liens should be reimbursed properly after settlement.