As part of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s ongoing efforts to curb rate violations by temporary nurse staffing agencies, which has resulted in nearly $900,000 in recoveries, her office announced two additional settlements with agencies based in Quincy and Waltham. These settlements resolve allegations that Intelycare, Inc. (Intelycare) and connectRN each failed to comply with regulations by charging long-term care facilities for nursing services at rates above the maximum rates allowed by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).
Under the settlements, Intelycare, based in Quincy, will pay more than $500,000, including more than $236,000 in restitution to affected long-term care facilities and approximately $270,000 in penalties. The penalties will be distributed to the Commonwealth’s Long-Term Care Facility Quality Improvement Fund, which was created to improve the quality of care at long-term care facilities. connectRN, headquartered in Waltham, will pay more than $100,000, including more than $43,000 in restitution to affected long-term care facilities and $65,000 in penalties to the Long-Term Care Facility Quality Improvement Fund.
Under the terms of the settlements, Intelycare and connectRN have also agreed to update their software and practices to ensure compliance with EOHHS regulations.
These settlements are part of AG Campbell’s broader effort to ensure compliance with EOHHS rate requirements for temporary nurse staffing agencies. In March 2023, AG Campbell first issued an advisory in response to allegations received by the AG’s Office that some temporary nurse staffing agencies had been attempting to overcharge, demand additional fees, or enter misleading arrangements with long-term care facilities. In January 2024, AG Campbell announced settlements with three temporary nursing agencies to resolve allegations that they failed to comply with EOHHS regulations and overcharged nursing facilities.
The AG has authority to investigate and prosecute noncompliance with EOHHS regulations governing temporary nurse staffing agencies. Concerns or complaints regarding temporary nurse staffing at Massachusetts long-term care facilities can be made to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division at 617-963-2360, or the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification at 617-753-8150.
These matters were handled by Deputy Division Chief Kevin Lownds, Assistant Attorney General Kevin O’Keefe, Senior Healthcare Fraud Investigator Shelby Stephens, and Investigator Kathleen Tansey, all of the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division.
The Massachusetts Medicaid Fraud Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $5,865,996 for federal fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,955,330 for FY 2024, is funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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