A class action has been commenced in the United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana against Amedisys, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) and certain of its top officials. The class action was filed on behalf of purchasers of Amedisys securities between February 23, 2010 and May 13, 2010, both dates inclusive, (the "Class Period"). The Complaint alleges violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder.
Specifically, the Complaint alleges that defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose: (1) that the Company's reported sales and earnings growth were materially impacted by a scheme whereby the Company intentionally increased the number of in-home therapy visits to patients for the purpose of triggering higher reimbursement rates under the Medicare home health prospective payment system, as those excess visits were not always medically necessary; (2) that the Company's reported sales and earnings were inflated by said scheme and subject to recoupment by Medicare; (3) that the Company was in material violation of its Code of Ethical Business Conduct and compliance due to the scheme to inflate Medicare revenues; and (4) based on the foregoing, defendants lacked a basis for their positive statements about the Company, its prospects and growth.
On April 27, 2010, The Wall Street Journal ("WSJ") reported that Amedisys has been taking advantage of the Medicare reimbursement system by increasing the number of in-home therapy visits in order to trigger additional reimbursements. As reported in the article, according to a former Amedisys nurse, the excess visits that triggered additional reimbursements were "not always medically necessary." In the wake of this revelation, Amedisys securities fell $3.98 or 6.5%.
On May 13, 2010, the WSJ did a follow up article where it reported that the Senate Finance Committee ("Committee") had started an investigation into the billing and operating practices of Amedisys. In a Committee letter dated May 12, 2010 to Amedisys, the Committee cited the findings of the WSJ article and requested the Company to produce documents dating as far back as 2006, concerning data on therapy visits, lists of physicians with the highest patient referrals to the Company, and copies of all marketing materials. In the wake of this additional revelation, Amedisys securities fell nearly 8% or $4.48.
If you are a current shareholder and purchased between February 23, 2010 and May 13, 2010 and would like to discuss your options of exercising your rights as a shareholder, please contact us.
Please submit the following information so we can determine if you qualify for the suit. If you don't know all the specific details, partial information is also acceptable.