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WEST VALLEY CITY -- Prosecutors are investigating a West Valley women's clinic they say made more than $1 million dollars of false Medicaid claims. Documents state the clinic director told patients how to fraudulently apply for services.
Patients who were there at the clinic looking into receiving care were ... allegedly given Social Security numbers which would allow them to get through the Baby your Baby process.
–Robert Steed, Assistant Utah Attorney General
#steed_quote
The Westview Women's Center has allegedly been enrolling their patients in the Baby your Baby program unlawfully for five years. The program gives pre-natal care to pregnant women until they can apply for Medicaid.
Police documents say the clinic director taught potential patients how to fraudulently apply for services, gave them Social Security numbers, and told them how to claim for citizenship.
The Utah Attorney General's Office has been looking into these allegations since November 2009.
"Patients who were there at the clinic looking into receiving care were given instruction on how to obtain Baby your Baby coverage, allegedly, and allegedly given Social Security numbers which would allow them to get through the Baby your Baby process," says Assistant Attorney General Robert Steed.
The investigation is also looking at how many medical tests were performed at the clinic. Documents say the clinic billed a high number of ultrasounds to Medicaid.
"Our investigation is looking into the number of ultrasounds at the clinic and whether they were medically necessary," Steed says.
This isn't the first time the clinic has been in trouble. Just a couple months ago an employee, Jose Sanchez, was arrested for performing ultrasounds without a license.
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Story compiled with contributions from Anne Forester and Randall Jeppesen.
