Home health care facilities in Iowa, South Dakota ordered to pay

A federal judge has ordered five home health care facilities in Iowa and South Dakota accused of filing fraudulent Medicare claims to pay more than $3.1 million.

A complaint filed earlier this month in Cedar Rapid's federal court accused Sergeant Bluff Healthcare and Elk Point Healthcare of filing Medicare claims for home health services billed by a third-party for services that did not qualify for Medicare coverage or were not justified or necessary. Prosecutors say the fraudulent claims were filed from January 2012 through December 2015.

For most of that time, the facilities were managed by a Minnesota company that has since gone out of business.

In a consent judgment issued Wednesday, a judge ordered Sergeant Bluff Healthcare, Red Oak Healthcare and Logan Healthcare, all in Iowa; and Elk Point Health Care and Flandreau Healthcare, both in South Dakota, to pay various amounts ranging from $1.2 million to nearly $116,000.