Amerigroup Plays Key Role in Fraud Conviction

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Dec. 28, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Amerigroup Corporation today announced the successful conclusion of a key fraud case that helped recoup a significant amount of money for U.S. taxpayers. The company's dedicated investigative unit led a five-year effort which culminated into last week's conviction of a District of Columbia physician accused of overcharging the government for services that were either undocumented or never actually performed.

"This very public outcome is one example of the work that goes on every day as we employ a team of investigators to ensure the system is working for our state and federal government partners," said Amerigroup Chairman and CEO James G. Carlson.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia's successful case against Ehigiator O. Akhigbe began in 2004, when Amerigroup's Corporate Investigation's Department referred the matter to the D.C. Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) and the FBI. The referral was the result of an internal Amerigroup investigation triggered by a high number of "evaluation and management visits" billed by the physician. The information was corroborated by an FBI search of the physician's office in 2007.

Amerigroup terminated Akhigbe from its provider network in June 2004 but continued to assist the U.S. Attorney's office as well as the Deputy Director of the MFCU in the District. In addition to coordinating  document  requests  throughout  the  case,  Amerigroup  Senior  Investigator  Barbara Jeffries offered key testimony during the trial.

For further details on the case, please refer to the press release issued December 18, 2009 by the

U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia at: http://www.justice.gov/usao/dc/

AboutAmerigroupCorporation

Amerigroup Corporation and its subsidiaries help those on publicly funded health care programs by ensuring that these individuals enter an organized system of care and a true medical home. Serving approximately 1.8 million members in 11 states nationwide, Amerigroup accepts all eligible people regardless  of  age,  sex,  race  or  disability.  The  company's  product  offerings  do  not  utilize  any individual underwriting nor deny coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions.  Amerigroup is dedicated to offering real solutions that improve health care access and quality for its members, while proactively working to reduce the overall cost of care to taxpayers. For more information and real story examples of these solutions, please visit www.amerigroupcorp.com.

SOURCE Amerigroup Corporation