Home health agency, executives to pay over $5M to settle fraud allegations

SARASOTA — Doctor’s Choice Home Care Inc. and its former executives, Timothy Beach and Stuart Christensen, have agreed to pay $5.15 million to resolve allegations that the home health agency provided improper financial inducements to referring physicians through sham medical director agreements and bonuses to physicians’ spouses who were Doctor’s Choice employees.

Sarasota-based Doctor’s Choice has branches throughout the state. Beach and Christensen founded Doctor’s Choice and formerly served as its top executives.