Center Pharmacy in Granby allegedly submits false claims to MassHealth, AG says

The Center Pharmacy is shown May 23, 2017 in Granby.

The Center Pharmacy is shown May 23, 2017 in Granby. gazette file photo

By EMILEE KLEIN

Staff Writer

Published: 12-11-2024 7:40 PM

GRANBY — Center Pharmacy is finalizing a $230,000 settlement with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office over allegations that the business on State Street submitted dozens of false claims to MassHealth — allegations the pharmacy’s owner denies.

According to a press release from the AG’s office, Center Pharmacy allegedly told physicians that their elderly nursing home patients requested a prescription vitamin Profola, despite state investigations finding no such asks from patients.

MassHealth reimbursed a total of $116,000 between August 2023 and October 2023 for 72 Profola claims by the pharmacy for 51 patients, according to the AG’s office.

Lee Lalonde, who owns Center Pharmacy, denies the allegations, calling the press release “inaccurate information from the get-go.”

“There was no admission of guilt or wrongdoing on our behalf,” Lalonde continued. “This whole thing was a misinterpretation and that’s pretty much it.”

In addition to the funds, the press release said, the settlement obligates Center Pharmacy to implement a three-year MassHealth compliance monitoring program that updates policies and procedures to follow MassHealth requirements. Training, annual reports and onsite audits are also part of the program.

The Center Pharmacy matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Mary-Ellen Kennedy, Investigations Supervisor Christopher Cecchini, and Investigator Emily Hunt, each of the AGO’s Medicaid Fraud Division, with assistance from MassHealth.

The Attorney General’s Office’s Medicaid Fraud Division is a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, annually certified by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and prosecute health care providers who defraud the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth. The Medicaid Fraud Division also has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute complaints of abuse, neglect and financial exploitation of residents in long-term care facilities and of Medicaid patients in any health care setting.

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