12/27/13 - The hearing for a Livingston County woman charged in a Medicare scheme involving fraudulent billing claims has been postponed until the new year. 54-year-old Michelle Freeman of Pinckney and Elaine Lovett of Wayne County are accused of conspiring to engage in Medicare fraud and submitting fraudulent claims. The alleged offenses occurred while the pair owned and controlled Oak Park-based ABIX LLC. The complaint alleges they obtained the Medicare numbers of licensed medical service providers in and around Detroit, and then used the information to bill Medicare for chiropractic and psychotherapy services that were not provided. A preliminary exam in U.S. District Court in Detroit on Thursday was delayed until January 28th. A court order states that the delay will enable the defendantâs time to review the large volume of records but also allow the parties to discuss the possibility of resolving the case without proceeding to a grand jury indictment. Freeman remains free on a $10,000 unsecured bond. Sheâs among 20 Detroit-area physicians, company owners and operators, office employees and patient recruiters accused of submitting more than $34 million in false claims for services that were never rendered and with paying kickbacks to obtain patients to be billed. (JM)
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