An urgent care company with locations in Central Oregon and its former owner has agreed to pay the state nearly $490,000 to settle claims they overbilled the state’s Medicaid program during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The case centers around Family Choice Urgent Care, which operated clinics and drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites in Bend and Redmond. According to the Oregon Department of Justice, Family Choice submitted thousands of claims between 2020 and 2022 for medically unnecessary COVID-19 tests and inflated the billing codes for routine visits that lasted only a few minutes.

The state alleges that the false claims cost taxpayers at least $300,000.

According to the state’s complaint, at least 1,900 Medicaid claims were tied to patients who reported no symptoms, no exposure and later test

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