An ambulance company is suing a Georgia nursing home, claiming that it repeatedly ignored warnings to more judiciously use its services.
The operator of South Star Ambulance Service alleges that the Augusta, GA-based facility repeatedly tapped the ambulance company for inappropriate, non-emergency services over a two-year period, and is asking for more than $150,000 back for those trips, the Augusta Chronicle reported Saturday. SSAS first filed suit against Pruitthealth—Augusta Hills on April 8.
Regional Services, which operates the ambulance company, alleges that since the SNF is a Medicare-eligible provider, it should apply for reimbursement for non-emergency ambulance transport. The alleged inappropriate trips were made between August 2016 and September 2018, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Richmond County Superior Court.
An employee who answered the phone at the nursing home Monday said the center had no comment. Parent company Pruitthealth is based in Norcross, GA, and operates about 180 facilities in Georgia, Florida, and North and South Carolina.
