The Sentinel, a publication of the SMP Resource Center
www.smpresource.org
February 2015
Patience and Perseverance
Pay Off
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Sonja Landry
By Sonja Landry
SMP Manager, eQHealth Solutions, Louisiana
I
n early 2009, the LA-SMP started receiving reports about a home helper called
Dee (dubbed “Dee the Home Helper”) who was offering personal care services,
at no cost to the client, such as “cleaning, errands, and much, much more…” as well
as “motorized wheelchairs and scooters, walkers with seat and basket, and more.”
We would receive these reports rather randomly but did not have enough data
to do anything other than to alert the Office of Inspector General (OIG). Then the
reports stopped cold. In November and December 2010 the reports started again
about Dee the Home Helper but, as before, we didn’t have anything to substantiate
the reports other than the beneficiaries became wary when the woman was so
persistent and so they refused the services. It was reported that Dee claimed to
work for a Council on Aging at times, health providers at times, and home health
agencies at other times. During 2011 we continued to receive reports about Dee
but another name came into play: Dr. Alvin Darby. Some reports included “Dee the
Home Helper” and Dr. Darby visiting beneficiaries at their homes with Dr. Darby
offering to order services that the beneficiary didn’t need. All of the beneficiaries we
spoke with refused the services and fraudulent equipment. In November 2011, we
finally received a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) from a beneficiary where the
doctor billed for “Home visit new patient.” However, all of a sudden, the reports
stopped again.
We continued to educate our beneficiaries using this example from time to time
and reminding the volunteers, especially reaching the parishes where reports had
come from over the years, to use this as an example without using the doctor’s
name or Dee’s name. Surprisingly, one of our volunteers received a flyer from “Dee
the Home Helper” with no return address in October 2012. Once again, we reported
the activity to the authorities.
In May 2013, the OIG informed us that “Dee the Home Helper” and Dr. Darby,
along with three others, had been indicted for conspiracy to commit health care
continued
fraud, conspiracy to receive and pay health care kickbacks, and forfeiture. We were
elated but knew the battle was not over.
About a dozen others and six health care companies have since been indicted.
It is estimated that from 2007 to 2014, Medicare paid $51 million on their claims
with roughly $42 million associated with the original indictment. Dr. Darby and
Demetrius Temple (Dee the Home Helper) pleaded guilty in September 2014 and
are scheduled for sentencing in early 2015.
For more information about these cases see:

Initial indictment

September indictment: Click here and here.

FBI Report
This newsletter was supported in part by a grant (No. 90NP0003) from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS). Grantees carrying out projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Therefore,
points of view or opinions do not necessarily represent official ACL or DHHS policy.