Emergency Medical Services Authority has reached a $300,000 settlement in lawsuits alleging it engaged in a kickback scheme over 15 years in Texas.
EMSA, which manages emergency medical services in Tulsa and three of its suburbs, says the arrangement was a cost-savings agreement with Paramedics Plus in the form of a profit cap.
EMSA could have been on the hook for up to $20 million had it gone to trial and lost.
"It became evident that nothing illegal transpired when the government deposed key personnel and tried to build a case against us," said EMSA Board of Trustees Chair Jan Slater in a statement. "No evidence was found that any of the money EMSA received was mismanaged or that any individual has been personally enriched."
"It is important to note that the $300,000 settlement is based on EMSA’s ability to pay. Moreover, it represents EMSA’s acceptance of responsibility for the oversight deficits that resulted in the misuse of Medicaid and Medicare funds," said Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter in a statement.
Former EMSA CEO Steve Williamson stepped down after a federal lawsuit was filed last year, and EMSA unsuccessfully sought a rate hike in Tulsa as its legal bills climbed.
