A Maryland-based sleep services provider entered into a $500,000 settlement with the federal government over billing questions for home sleep testing services provided to patients with insurance coverage through TRICARE (military dependants) and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP).

According to the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the government alleged that “in order to increase its reimbursement, (the sleep services provider) falsely billed in-home, self-administered sleep studies as if the sleep studies were attended by a sleep technologist.”

The government also alleged that these same sleep studies were billed to TRICARE and the FEHBP at a time when they did not permit reimbursement for in-home sleep studies. In entering into the settlement, the sleep care provider denied the allegations, stating: “Our perspective was that these were not false claims, but rather misunderstandings. This was a billing issue. We regret the error.”