SARA RICO, CSW,MSW

NPI 1982914727, individual, Arecibo, PR, Psychologist, Clinical

Evidence tier

informational

score 29 of 100, rank 11875, $21K at stake

National provider registry

From the CMS NPPES Registry, refreshed daily.

Name	SARA RICO, CSW,MSW
Type	Individual, sole proprietor
Status	Active
NPI issued	October 14, 2010, last updated June 15, 2023
Practice location	URB. LOS AIRES, F8, Arecibo, PR 00612, 787-485-5543
Specialties	Social Worker, Clinical (1041C0700X, license 9315 PR) Psychologist, Clinical (103TC0700X, primary, license 7599 PR)

Procedures billed

The specific codes behind the dollars. Medicaid figures come from T-MSIS (2018 to 2024) and are compared with every other provider billing the same code; Medicare figures come from the 2024 physician and supplier file and compare this provider's submitted charge with what Medicare allowed, against the usual ratio for that code.

Medicaid, largest codes

code	what it is	paid	share	per patient-month	typical	rank among providers
90832	Psychotherapy, 30 minutes	$23K	84%	$42	$59 (top 5% from $239)	34th percentile
90791	Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation	$4K	15%	$63	$105 (top 5% from $228)	too few months to rank
96127	Assessment of emotional or behavioral problems	$312	1%	$1.12	$4.12 (top 5% from $19)	23rd percentile
G8431	Medicaid service code	$0	0%	$0.00	$0.00 (top 5% from $31)	0th percentile
3085F	Medicaid service code	$0	0%	$0.00	$0.00 (top 5% from $1.32)	0th percentile

In this area

81 providers in PR carry an indicator in the public record, with $52.8M at stake between them. The most common is more hours than a day holds, on 70 of them, followed by part of a provider network on 5. 6 are tier 1: documented action, then payment.

tier	provider	at stake	why
1	MELVIN MATHEWS BERMUDEZ Manati, PR, ranked 119	$166K	Listed on the Medicare revocation list since January 22, 2020. Medicaid still paid claims in 32 later months, $165,501 in total.
1	PHYSICIAN H.M.O. INC. San Juan, PR, ranked 158	$81K	Adjudicated (pleaded guilty) per a Department of Justice release dated July 17, 2025. Medicaid paid $81,097 in the last 12 observed months.
1	DIANA GALLARDO Caguas, PR, ranked 321	$5K	Listed on the OIG exclusion list and the Medicare revocation list since July 9, 2021. Medicaid still paid claims in 8 later months, $5,215 in total.
1	VILLALBA MEDICAL TRANSPORT LLC Juana Diaz, PR, ranked 401	$909	Listed on the Medicare revocation list since November 2, 2023. Medicaid still paid claims in 1 later month, $909 in total.
1	PHYSICIAN HMO INC. San Juan, PR, ranked 408	$680	Adjudicated (pleaded guilty) per a Department of Justice release dated July 17, 2025. Medicaid paid $680 in the last 12 observed months.
1	PHYSICIAN HMO INC. Rio Piedras, PR, ranked 460	$0	Adjudicated (pleaded guilty) per a Department of Justice release dated July 17, 2025. No Medicaid payments in the last 12 observed months.
2	YAMIR GARCIA SEGARRA Caguas, PR, ranked 696	$1.9M	Billed more hands-on hours than a day holds in 3 months, peaking at 22.2 hours per day across 3 billing organizations. Medicaid dollars per patient on code 92526 ($630 per patient-month) sit in the top 5% of every provider billing that code.
3	CMS HOME CARE NORTE, LLC Hatillo, PR, ranked 3502	$0	Part of provider network D1-00068, ranked 68 nationally.

All 81 in PR

Recent enforcement in PR

All releases

Department of Justice and HHS-OIG releases for this state, newest first. Each opens in a new tab.

DOJIndictedJun 23, 2026

2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown

Four defendants were charged in two schemes, one involving the advertising, sale, and distribution of Semaglutide, Mounjaro, steroids, and Tirzepatide that defendants were not authorized to possess and distribute, and the other involving performing dental procedures on patients without a valid dental license and misbranding of devices.

DOJCivil settlementJun 4, 2026

Puerto Rico Pharmacies Agree to Pay $4.6 Million to Federal Authorities in Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Cases

Four pharmacies and their owners agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve allegations that between January 2021 and January 2024 they billed Medicare and Medicaid for diverted prescriptions sold to patients that had been misrepresented as properly sourced despite unverifiable origins.

DOJPleaded guiltyJul 17, 2025

Physician Assistant who Pretended to be a Licensed Physician Pleads Guilty to Making False Statements to an Agency of the United States

Villalobos-Meléndez, a licensed physician assistant who was never licensed to practice medicine, forged medical license and USMLE documents, worked as a physician in a hospital internship program, and submitted false license information on a CMS-855I form seeking enrollment as a Medicare physician provider with benefits reassigned to Physician HMO.

DOJCivil settlementDec 23, 2024

MMM Holdings, LLC Agrees to Pay 15.2 Million Dollars to Resolve Allegations that it Violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute

MMM Holdings distributed gift cards to administrative assistants of providers to induce the referral, recommendation, or arrangement for enrollment of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries in an MMM Medicare Advantage plan and submitted or caused claims for payment to Medicare.

DOJIndictedSep 25, 2024

27 Individuals Indicted for Buying and Selling Wholesale Quantities of Misbranded and Diverted Prescription Drugs Resold to the Public Through Retail Pharmacies in Puerto Rico

Defendants engaged in unlicensed wholesale distribution of misbranded and diverted prescription drugs sold to pharmacy owners and employees who resold them to customers and billed health care benefit plans as if the drugs were authentic and obtained through licensed distribution channels.

Referral packet

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Ask this case

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