PLANS TO DISTRIBUTE THREE MILLION COVID-19 AT-HOME RAPID TESTS

HARTFORD, CT – Governor Ned Lamont announced plans to distribute three million COVID-19 at-home rapid tests and six million N95 masks in Connecticut in an effort to help curb the spread of COVID-19 during this heavy travel and holiday season.

The first allocation will include the distribution of 500,000 iHealth kits – each containing two tests for a total of one million tests – that will be designated for the general public. Distribution of these kits is scheduled to begin on Thursday, December 30, 2021, and is expected to run through the following week. The Connecticut Department of Public Health, Connecticut Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and Connecticut National Guard will oversee the distribution of the kits, with support from regional and local emergency management teams. This initiative also will include the distribution of N95 masks. State officials stress that details of the distribution of the kits and N95 masks are still being finalized and are subject to change this week.

In addition to those designated for the general public, the state has purchased another one million iHealth kits – each containing two tests for a total of two million tests – that will be distributed to K-12 schools statewide. Distribution of those kits, which will also include a supply of N95 masks, will begin in January and continue through the school year as supplies last. Planning for this initiative is being conducted in partnership with the Connecticut State Department of Education. More details on the distribution of tests for schools will be announced in early January.

The total cost of the three million tests is approximately $18.5 million and will be funded through federal funds.

“Connecticut is currently experiencing another surge in COVID-19 cases that is being driven mostly by the highly transmissible Omicron variant,” Governor Lamont said. “As a result, the demand for tests has outpaced the supply of testing available through our statewide network of about 400 sites. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is likely to be a period of high transmission, and we have to get 2022 off to a good start by helping residents identify COVID-19 quickly and take those steps to isolate appropriately to curb any further spread.”

The governor added that the addition of these at-home tests will immediately expand the number of tests available in Connecticut in a very short period. Last week, about 250,000 tests were reported to the Connecticut Department of Public Health.

“There are three simple and effective interventions to fight off the current surge of COVID-19 from the Omicron variant – vaccination, masking, and testing,” Connecticut Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani said. “We will be distributing two of these – masks and tests – so that our communities can work as quickly as possible to get past this surge. I strongly encourage people to limit gathering sizes during this holiday week. Because of the scarcity of these kits, I am asking the residents of our state to please take only the kits that you need for your immediate family so that we can distribute as many as possible to help flatten the Omicron curve. Per the CDC recommendations, if your self-test yields a positive result, please stay home or isolate for 10 days and wear a mask. There is no need to obtain a follow up PCR test. Given the highly infectious nature of the Omicron variant, it is most important to wear any mask both in public spaces and when interacting in close contact with individuals outside of your household, but an N95 mask will provide better protection. We are distributing enough N95 masks for any Connecticut resident that would like one.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has granted emergency use authorization for the iHealth COVID-19 antigen rapid test, which is completed with an anterior nasal swab and is not the deep nasal test. The complete instructions for the at-home rapid test are available on the iHealth packaging in English and Spanish. Results are usually available in 15 minutes. More information on the iHealth antigen home test kits is available at ihealthlabs.com.

“Residents who have not been vaccinated should get their COVID-19 vaccine now and can do so by visiting ct.gov/covidvaccine,” Commissioner Juthani said. “For all vaccinated people 16 and older that are eligible for a booster, please get one as soon as possible. For all school-age children 5 and older that are not vaccinated yet, please use this school break to get vaccinated. Vaccination saves lives and keeps people who get COVID out of the hospital.”

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is in the process of adding 7 more community testing sites to its current roster of 23 state-sponsored sites. Information on the approximately 400 COVID-19 testing sites currently operating in Connecticut is available by calling 2-1-1 or visiting 211CT.org.]

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Fairfield News: Shell Station Robbed At Gunpoint

Police UPDATE: Fairfield Police are currently investigating an armed robbery which occurred at Fairfield Shell, 1139 Post Rd at approximately 7:43 PM. A male subject entered the store, held the clerk at gunpoint and demanded cash from the register. He fled the area prior to police arrival. No injuries were reported. As both an investigative and precautionary measure, Police, along with K9’s, are currently conducting a search of the area. At this time, we do not believe there is any further threat to the public. This is an active investigation, updates are pending.

2021-12-27@8:47pm–#Fairfield CT– The Shell Station at 1139 Post Road was just robbed at gunpoint by a black male with a full face black covering according to radio reports.

NUMEROUS BOATS VANDALIZED, SOUTH BENSON MARINA:

#Fairfield CT– The Fairfield Police Department is currently investigating several reports of boats being vandalized at the South Benson Marina in Fairfield, CT.  Officers responded to the Marina on both 12/17/21 and 12/23/21 and found numerous boats spray painted with similar markings/tags.  The boats were all marked with black paint and what appeared to be either the words Yeet/Yeex, Mot/Mox, Sano, and Reckr painted on them.

At this time, at least 8 boats and 2 trailers have been found to be vandalized.

Fairfield Police Detectives are seeking assistance from the public for information on the markings/tags (see attached images) and for information on the identity of those responsible. 

Contact the Fairfield Police Detective Bureau at (203) 254-4840.  Anonymous tips can be submitted via the Fairfield PD mobile app or by texting the keyword FPDCT plus your message/tip to 847411 (Tip411). Tips can also be submitted online at fpdct.com/tips. 

ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG ANNOUNCES $739,759 SETTLEMENT WITH MANCHESTER PEDIATRIC ASSOCIATES OVER FALSE MEDICAID BILLING

Hartford, CT) — Attorney General William Tong announced a $739,759.52 Connecticut False Claims Act settlement with Manchester Pediatric Associates, LLC (MPA), and its owner, Dr. Swathanthra Melekote to resolve allegations that MPA submitted false and fraudulent claims between January 2015 and May 2021 that resulted in overbilling the Connecticut Medicaid program.

“Over the course of more than five years, Manchester Pediatric Associates and its owner Dr. Melekote, knowingly and systematically submitted hundreds of thousands of dollars of false claims to the Medicaid program for services he did not perform to maximize his own profit. These false claims and fraudulent double billing practices misused Connecticut Medicaid resources intended for the medical care of our state’s most vulnerable residents,” Attorney General Tong said. “The Office of the Attorney General takes seriously our responsibility to safeguard our public healthcare programs and is prepared to take strong action against anyone who violates that public trust.”

“These inexcusable violations under the False Claims Act have resulted in a major settlement amount being returned the Medicaid program,” Department of Social Services Commissioner Deidre S. Gifford said.  “While such violations do not represent Medicaid providers as a whole, the case underscores the continuing need for strong enforcement of public integrity standards.  I thank the Attorney General and his staff, our DSS anti-fraud investigators, and all partners who work to safeguard taxpayer investments in our health coverage programs.”

Manchester Pediatric Associates serves approximately 5,700 pediatric Medicaid patients in South Windsor, Torrington, and Tolland. Following a whistleblower complaint, the Office of the Attorney General worked with the Department of Social Services Special Investigations Unit to conduct an investigation into Melekote’s questionable billing practices.

The investigation — which included a review of claims data for MPA Medicaid patients’ medical records, as well as extensive interviews with current and former MPA employees — found that Melekote violated the CT False Claims Act by knowingly billing Medicaid twice for maternal depression screenings and vaccine administration and by “up-coding” to bill for medical services as if a physician had provided the services, instead of a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, which would have been reimbursed at a lower rate. Melekote also billed Medicaid for maternal depression screens after a patient was one year old, and without adequate documentation that the service was provided in the patient’s medical records.

The investigation also found that Melekote directed staff to attach numerical “modifiers” to the codes entered on the electronic claim for payment for a service that MPA submitted to DSS’s claims processor. This was how MPA was able to “double bill” for a single maternal depression screen or single vaccine administration.  MPA employees were told to bill from a “billing guide” created by Melekote without regard to whether the billed services were in the patient’s medical record, and without regard to whether a mid-level practitioner rather than a physician provided the service. 

The total settlement amount is $739, 759.52 and will be paid no later than Dec. 30, 2021.

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public healthcare system is asked to contact the Attorney General’s Antitrust and Government Program Fraud Department at 860-808-5040 or by email at ag.fraud@ct.gov; or the Department of Social Services fraud reporting hotline at 1-800-842-2155, online at www.ct.gov/dss/reportingfraud, or by email to providerfraud.dss@ct.gov.

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