Oklahoma City private school pays $354,000 to settle false billing claims

A Catholic school serving children with autism in Oklahoma City has paid $354,000 to settle claims that it falsely billed a U.S. military health care program for services for more than three years.

The Good Shepherd Catholic School allegedly billed TRICARE, part of the Department of Defense military health system, for false or fraudulent claims between May 2013 and December 2016. The U.S. attorney’s office for the Western District of Oklahoma said the school did not admit liability in agreeing to pay the civil claims.

In billing the military for services to TRICARE beneficiaries, the school claimed Applied Behavior Analysis therapy was provided on a one-on-one basis.

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“The claims were allegedly false or fraudulent because the ABA services were provided in a group setting and not on a one-on-one basis as required,” according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “To resolve the claims, GSCS agreed to pay $354,000 to the United States.”

The Good Shepherd Catholic School at Mercy was established in 2011 and is located on the Mercy Hospital campus, according to the school’s website, which says it is a collaborative project launched with Mercy Hospital, the University of Central Oklahoma and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma private school pays claims of falsely billing US military