Our small township in rural Pennsylvania depends on a local ambulance service that primarily responds to senior citizens, most of whom rely on Medicare or Medicaid. Last year, we faced a devastating crisis. A Medicare inspector conducted an unannounced visit and incorrectly concluded that our ambulance company was no longer operating. As a result, Medicare abruptly stopped paying all of our submitted invoices.
Despite this error, we continued answering every call and providing emergency medical services—because stopping operations would have placed lives at risk. For ten months, we functioned without any Medicare reimbursement, steadily exhausting our financial reserves and nearing the point where we would have been forced to shut down. Had that happened, the consequences for our rural residents—many miles from any hospital—would have been catastrophic.
While searching for legal assistance, we found that most firms had experience with billing disputes or fraud allegations, but none had dealt with a situation quite like ours: an inspection error threatening to dismantle an essential emergency service. Our good fortune was finding the firm of Weiss, Zarett, Brofman, Sonnenklar & Levy, P.C., and especially attorney Mathew J. Levy.
Mathew brought deep experience in Medicare litigation and immediately recognized the stakes for our township. Although he acknowledged that our situation was unique, he understood that our continued operations truly were a matter of life and death for our residents. From the beginning, he pledged to work with diligence and urgency—and he delivered.
Mathew and his firm were exceptional: intelligent, dedicated, creative, and compassionate. They developed a clear legal strategy, kept us informed at every step, and presented our case persuasively to both the Administrative Law Judge and the Medicare attorneys. Their persistence and insight were remarkable.
After months of operating under severe financial strain, Mathew contacted us with the news we desperately needed: he had negotiated a path to resolve the problem. Not only did he secure our ability to continue providing services with Medicare billing reinstated going forward, but he also achieved resolution of our ten-month backlog of unpaid claims. This outcome quite literally kept our ambulance service alive.
Because of Mathew’s efforts, our township continues to have life-saving emergency medical coverage. In a rural community like ours, the ambulance ride to the hospital is often the difference between life and death. His work ensured we can keep serving those who depend on us most.
I write this as a Township Supervisor and ambulance board member, and as someone who practiced law in New York City for forty years before retiring to Pennsylvania. I have never
worked with a more dedicated, innovative legal mind—or a more hardworking and caring advocate—than Mathew J. Levy.
If your organization is facing a serious issue with Medicare, I wholeheartedly recommend contacting Mathew J. Levy and the firm of Weiss, Zarett, Brofman, Sonnenklar & Levy, P.C. Their expertise and commitment made all the difference for us, and I am confident they can do the same for others
