Vt. attorney general investigating Brattleboro Retreat for health care fraud

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - The Vermont Attorney General’s Office is investigating the state’s largest psychiatric hospital over what it says is health care fraud.

The filing, made last month in civil court, says that Brattleboro Retreat submitted bills to Medicaid for medical services that weren’t provided.

The AG’s filing says in March 2020, the Department of Vermont Health Access alerted them to suspicious changes in the Medicaid billing practices at the Brattleboro retreat, including overstating the severity of a patient’s illness to get a higher payout.

The AG’s office says the retreat has also not complied with efforts to get more information.

In a statement, the Brattleboro Retreat said they work hard to fully cooperate with regulator requests, but they were advised that some of the information the state wanted was outside the scope of what civil investigations could demand. “The attorney general’s office has chosen to file a petition to order the disclosure of that information. Our counsel will respond to the petition shortly. Like all hospitals, the Retreat is subject to various audits and reviews, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with the attorney general’s office in its important oversight function.”

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