WORCESTER – The owner of a home health agency that had an office at 37 Highland St. in Worcester has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $65k in connection with stealing approximately $2.5 million from MassHealth.
On Friday, Hellen Kiago, 48, of Sturbridge, was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison with 18 months served by Judge Robert Gordon.
She was convicted on May 14 in Worcester Superior Court on charges of Medicaid False Claims (4 counts) and Larceny over $250 by False Pretenses (1 count).
Kiago was indicted in 2017 after an investigation by Attorney General Maura Healey’s office following several complaints from former employees alleging misconduct and fraudulent billing practices.
Kiago was billing MassHealth through her business, Lifestream Healthcare Alliance, for services that were not authorized by physicians. The AG’s office found that Kiago was personally directing employees to provide patients with hours beyond those deemed necessary medically necessary by the clinician.
Kiago also directed employees to falsify documents to hide wrongdoing including forging physician signatures during a MassHealth audit and creating false corrective orders.
In total, these schemes defrauded MassHealth of approximately $2.5 million.
Lifestream [which also had an office in Dracut]was sentenced on the same charges and also fined $65k.
Lead photo: Former home of Lifestream Healthcare Alliance at 37 Highland St. in Worcester.
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