Former CT Nurse Pays $600K To Settle Fraud Case

by Jamil Ragland CTNewsJunkie

HARTFORD, CT — A former state resident accused of defrauding Connecticut’s Medicare and Medicaid programs, has agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to resolve the case.

Armand Ntchana, who formerly resided in Glastonbury before moving to Alexandria, LA, is a licensed advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), and the principal owner of Integrated Procare Services, LLC (IPS), a psychiatric medication management practice located in Wethersfield.

He faced allegations that he violated both state and federal False Claim Acts from January 2016 through October 2020 by improperly billing Medicare and Connecticut Medicaid for services not rendered, the services of an unlicensed provider, and for upcoded or duplicative claims.

The alleged behavior included claims billed by Ntchana for impossible numbers of hours per day He also billed hours for when he was not physically present in the office, including when he was out of the country on vacation, and billed for patients who were hospitalized or deceased, according to a statement from Attorney General William Tong. 

Ntchana was also accused of having a staff member call in a medication refill without Ntchana’s interacting directly with the patient or the patient’s medical record. Ntchana and IPS created false medical records or had no medical records for such visits, Tong said.

To resolve the allegations, Ntchana was ordered to pay $614,427.51, plus interest. He and IPS also entered into a suspension agreement and consent order with the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS), which suspends the company’s participation in all programs administered by DSS for two years. Ntchana also cannot reapply for reinstatement in Connecticut Medicaid or any state-funded program.

“Healthcare providers who participate in taxpayer funded healthcare plans have an obligation to bill for services honestly and accurately. We will continue to work with our partners at the state and federal level to hold bad actors accountable and protect public healthcare programs and patients,” Tong said.

This was not Ntchana’s first run-in with Connecticut officials. In 2019, Ntchana was reprimanded and placed on probation for a year for failing to practice in collaboration with a physician as required by law during the first three years after receiving his APRN license, and failing to document working in collaboration with a physician. In 2024, the Connecticut Department of Public Health ordered him to stop referring to himself as a primary care physician on his social media accounts and on his website.