Seven autism therapy centers in Oklahoma are at risk of closing by the end of the month after their SoonerCare payments were suspended in June due to a fraud investigation into the billing practices of the company’s former owner.

Impact on Families

For Kristyn Posadas, whose 5-year-old son receives therapy at Mirabelle Care, the services have been transformative. Posadas and 500 other families face the possibility of losing access to these critical services.

Parents like Caleb Nutty are concerned about the challenges of finding new providers if the centers close. “Not only that, when he does switch to somewhere else, a lot of children with autism have difficulties transitioning and changing in routine,” Nutty said.

Investigation and Suspension

Mirabelle Care, which operates the seven centers, said the state suspended its SoonerCare payments after the Oklahoma attorney general’s office opened a fraud investigation into the company’s former owner. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority said federal rules require Medicaid payments to be suspended when there is a credible fraud investigation.

Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.