A New Haven and Fairfield-based psychiatrist and her husband have agreed to pay $400,000 to settle a civil False Claims Act lawsuit originally filed by Attorney General George Jepsen in June 2015 alleging that the couple engaged in a long term scheme to submit false claims for services provided to Medicaid patients in Connecticut. The settlement was approved last week by a Hartford Superior Court judge.

The AG alleged that the co-owners of Brighter Concept Inc. – Dr. Ashwini Sabnis, a licensed psychiatrist enrolled as a provider in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CMAP), and her husband, Saurav “Sam” Mohanty – participated in an illegal scheme that resulted in the submission of false claims for services that were not provided and were “upcoded.” Upcoding is when a provider knowingly uses a higher-paying code on the claim form for a CMAP recipient to reflect the use of a more expensive service, procedure or device than was actually used or was medically necessary.

The state alleged that, between January 2010 through at least July 2012, Sabnis and Mohanty illegally submitted false claims for reimbursement while knowingly retaining and concealing the overpayment.

Under the terms of the settlement, Sabnis and Mohanty did not admit liability but have agreed to payments totaling $400,000 to the CMAP. Additionally, under a separate agreement with DSS, Sabnis will be suspended and excluded from participation in CMAP for three years.