A man who agreed to pay $600,000 to settle claims of Medicaid fraud was operating two state-funded care homes while the alleged fraud occurred, according to a press release from Attorney General William Tong’s Office.
Armand Ntchana, a licensed advance practice registered nurse (APRN) and the principal member and owner of the psychiatric medication management practice Integrated Procare Services (IPS), allegedly billed both Medicare and Connecticut Medicaid for services he didn’t perform between 2016 and 2020, according to the release.
While he was allegedly committing fraud, he was also operating two state-funded residential care homes, one in Danbury and another in New Haven.
The state claims that Ntchana and IPS made claims for: “impossible numbers of hours per day;” services that Ntchana supposedly provided when he was not physically present, including when he was abroad; services rendered to patients that were hospitalized or deceased; having a staff member call in medication refills for patients he did not directly interact with or even review the medical records; claiming that he interacted with patients when in reality those patients saw an individual with no medical qualifications or licenses; and filing claims for management visits and psychotherapy during visits where he did not provide psychotherapy treatments, according to the press release.
Ntchana and his related entities have agreed to pay $614,427.51, plus interest, in a civil settlement. Ntchana and IPS also agreed to be suspended from all programs administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS) for two years and to not reapply to be reinstated in Connecticut Medicaid or any state-funded program after that time.
“Healthcare providers who participate in taxpayer funded healthcare plans have an obligation to bill for services honestly and accurately. We will continue to work with our partners at the state and federal level to hold bad actors accountable and protect public healthcare programs and patients,” said Tong in the press release.
During this time when the alleged fraud took place, Ntchana was also the owner and principal operator of Brookside Residential Care Home in Danbury and Riverview Residential Care Home in New Haven. Despite receiving state funding, there is very little documentation on these two care homes. According to the state’s licensing portal, both of Ntchana’s facilities were first licensed in 2017.
There was only one annual report filed for the Riverview Residential Care Home, according to the state’s business website. That report was filed in 2020. Inside Investigator found a more in-depth report detailing the facility’s operations in 2019-2022. which stated that the facility had 50 beds and 44 residents. The report also states that the facility received over $1 million through Connecticut Medicaid.
There were more annual reports filed with the state for the Brookside Residential Care Home, but those reports did not contain details on the size, operations or finances of the facility.
However, an investigation from the Department of Public Health (DPH) found that there were significant problems with how the facility was run. The facility did not maintain a sanitary and safe kitchen, and there were rodents and mold in the areas where it stored dried food. The kitchen did not have sinks to wash hands or pots, and the floors were not waterproof, the facility was not tracking the temperature of the refrigeration unit in the kitchen and it did not have the necessary licenses from the local health departments.
The Commissioner concluded that “the health, safety, and welfare of patients in the Facility imperatively (required) emergency action.”
A few months before the facility closed, Ntchana signed a consent order with the DPH and agreed to take on a temporary manager. That manager was tasked with performing a financial audit of the care home from 2020 until the date the order was signed, file missing documentation to the DSS from 2020 and 2021, and monitor the facility for health and safety violations.
Ntchana ceased control of the Brookside Residential Care Homes in 2022 and the Riverview Residential Care Home in 2023, then sold both properties in August, 2023. The Riverview Residential Care Home was sold to Riverview Propco LLC for $2.25 million.
A previous Medicaid fraud investigation found that a former state employee of the Office of Policy and Management defrauded Medicaid of $1.8 million while on the state payroll.
“Healthcare providers who participate in taxpayer funded healthcare plans have an obligation to bill for services honestly and accurately. We will continue to work with our partners at the state and federal level to hold bad actors accountable and protect public healthcare programs and patients,” Attorney General William Tong said in a press release.
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