A physician from Porter Ranch is facing criminal health care fraud charges arising from her alleged false home health certifications and related $6 million in fraudulent billings to Medicare, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 58, was arrested Thursday and charged with four federal counts of health care fraud, according to the DOJ.
Prosecutors said Baltaian operated two medical clinics in Tujunga and Reseda. From about January 2012 to July 2018, she falsely certified patients to receive home health care from at least four area home health agencies, the DOJ alleges.
Baltaian's alleged false certifications were used by the home health agencies to fraudulently bill Medicare for unnecessary home health care. Baltaian received a cash benefit related to these referrals and also submitted claims to Medicare for signing the fraudulent certifications and for patient visits and injections that were not needed and/or provided, the DOJ alleges.
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As further alleged in court documents, between January 2012 and July 2018, four home health agencies used Baltaian's false certifications to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, resulting in a total of over $6 million paid on those claims.
If convicted, Baltaian faces up to 10 years in prison on each count, according to the DOJ.
