JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville’s telehealth provider Telescope Health strongly denied fraud allegations on Wednesday as the city’s Special Committee on Duval DOGE emergency met to discuss concerns about the company’s multi-million dollar contract with the city.
The emergency meeting, which lasted just 30 minutes, focused on three main areas of concern raised by City Councilman Rory Diamond: potential contract irregularities, alleged conflicts of interest, and claims of Medicare fraud.
“They will not find fraud. They will not find corruption. They will not find any collusion here,” Dr. Matthew Thompson, CEO and Co-Founder of Telescope Health, said. “This is a program that we were selected for through an RFP process that is upstanding. We were selected for our merit, our expertise.”
Thompson said that the program has managed more than 6,800 calls through Healthlink JAX and claims to have redirected over $11.1 million in healthcare system costs since launching in October 2024.
Diamond’s investigation centers on three main allegations:
- Contract Necessity: Questions about why the city is paying approximately $1.5 million this year for services that Diamond claims another provider could offer for free.
- Potential Conflicts of Interest: Concerns about individuals working for multiple entities that might benefit from the city contract.
- Medicare Fraud Claims: Allegations about improper patient referrals to specific hospitals.
The meeting did not include a presentation of evidence, public comment or questioning of the company. Committee chair Ron Salem said that would take place over several hearings.
Telescope Health denied all allegations in a letter to the committee obtained by News4JAX.
The company emphasized that it “cannot and has not billed Medicare, Medicaid or other payors for Healthlink JAX patients” as the program specifically serves uninsured patients.
“Nothing is free,” Thompson stated, addressing claims about alternative providers. “The reality is, we are not submitting bills to commercial insurance. We’re not submitting bills to Medicare, Medicaid... We do this at no expense to the patient.”
That claim from the committee stems from a company called RightSite Health.
“I was told by multiple people,” Diamond said. “There’s another entity out there, and I just ended up googling and figuring out who they were and then reached out to them and talked to their CEO.”
RightSite Health is a service that currently operates with Jacksonville Fire Rescue. The company did not submit a proposal for the project Telescope was selected for.
Committee Chair Ron Salem said he met with the RightSite team a couple of months ago. He said they offset the city cost by servicing and charging insured patients.
Thompson said the company’s only source of income is the $1.5 million contract for the next fiscal year with the city.
He also described the program as a “robust public health service” that partners with over 60 organizations, provides technology to the city, offers analytics, and maintains a dedicated hotline (925-CARE) for uninsured residents needing medical care.
Salem expressed hope that a thorough investigation could be completed without requiring subpoenas, but he did acknowledge that the option remains available if needed.
“I hope everybody cooperates and you don’t need those things,” Salem said, referencing the previous JEA scandal investigation. “I have said from the very beginning of these budget hearings... I didn’t think this was something the city should be involved in.”
The DOGE committee members indicated they expect to have more direction by next Tuesday’s meeting. Salem said he anticipates the investigation could be completed in three to four hearings, with the goal of making recommendations about the program’s future.
“Go into it with an open mind,” Diamond said. “Let’s just get it out there. The most important thing with these is that everyone feels a process was followed. And to me that’s mission critical.”
The city’s Office of Inspector General previously reviewed the telehealth contract and gave Telescope Health a high score of 92.6 percent in their evaluation, though this new investigation will examine additional concerns about the program’s cost-effectiveness and implementation.
“We find this extremely troubling that these accusations were brought against us and we will be as transparent as possible to show that we are a company that has integrity and compliance,” Thompson said.