Idaho Urgent Care Provider Pays $3 Million for COVID-19 Billing Fraud
Bloom Care LLC settles False Claims Act allegations without admitting guilt
Bloom Care LLC has agreed to pay $3 million to take care of the allegations that the company submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to CBS2 News Staff reporting on July 15, 2025.
How They Broke the Law
The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that Bloom Care, which operated urgent care centers in Idaho and New Mexico, violated the False Claims Act in two key ways during the pandemic:
Unnecessary Testing: The company allegedly billed for medically unnecessary streptococcus and influenza tests on asymptomatic patients, using COVID-19 as an excuse for the billing.
Inflated Services: Bloom allegedly submitted claims for high-level evaluation and management services for COVID-19 patients when they knew the services should have been billed at lower rates.
Investigation and Settlement
The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Idaho, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare also assisted in the investigation.
"The Department of Justice is committed to identifying waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs," said Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott, as reported by CBS2 News Staff on July 15, 2025. "I commend the federal and state agencies that investigated this case, as their important efforts protect taxpayer dollars."
What Happens Next
The settlement only deals with the allegations, with the DOJ clarifying that there has been no admission of guilt or determination of liability. The company's future operations remain unclear as of the writing of this article.
A Broader Pattern
While correlation doesn't always equal causation, this case demonstrates that conspiracy theories during COVID-19 weren't completely wrong about medical agencies potentially gaming the system. When federal dollars flow freely during a crisis, some providers apparently saw opportunity rather than obligation to serve patients faithfully.
Citations: CBS2 News Staff, "Idaho urgent care provider pays $3M to resolve allegations of false claims during COVID-19," July 15, 2025
Sources
Dodds, M. (2015). Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Cases Impact Sport Marketing Strategies. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 24(4), 258-260.