New Britain Optician Double-Billed Medicaid: AG

NEW BRITAIN, CT — A New Britain optician will pay $263,488 to the state under a False Claims settlement, according to a statement from state Attorney General William Tong. Your Eyes of New Britain is accused of routinely double-billing medicaid patients for eyeglass refitting from 2014 to 2019.

According to the statement, when a Medicaid patient purchased new eyeglasses, Your Eyes billed Medicaid for the eyeglasses, which included the initial fitting. When the eyeglasses were ready for pick-up, Your Eyes billed Medicaid a second time for any subsequent final adjustments necessary as if the service was a separate “repair and refitting,” which is against Medicaid policy.

Investigators found that Your Eyes falsely billed Medicaid 26,615 times, resulting in overpayments of $175,659.

“Healthcare providers in the state Medicaid program have a legal obligation to make sure their billings are true and accurate. Your Eyes of New Britain submitted thousands of improper claims over a period of four years, taking in Medicaid payments they were not entitled to. This settlement makes taxpayers whole and sends an important message that Connecticut will take aggressive action to safeguard our public healthcare programs,” Tong said in a statement.