A California physician pleaded guilty Nov. 21 in Los Angeles to criminal health care fraud, arising from her false home health certifications and related fraudulent billing resulted in at least $1,449,050 in fraudulent Medicare spending, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, of Porter Ranch, was accused of falsely certifying patients to receive home health care from at least four Los Angeles area home health agencies from 2012 to 2018, the DOJ release notes.
In some instances, Baltaian pre-signed blank, undated physician certification forms knowing that the home health agencies would later falsify the forms to make it appear as if she saw the Medicare beneficiaries and made clinical findings to support the need for home health care, when she had not done either. Baltaian received cash benefits related to these referrals and also submitted claims to Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications, the DOJ notes.
Baltaian pleaded guilty to health care fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on April 3, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.