Coshocton Pharmacist Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Health Care Fraud
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 05, 2013 |
A Coshocton pharmacist was sentenced to more than four years in prison and ordered to pay more than $2.1 million in restitution related to health care fraud, said Steven M. Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine.
Barbara Elise Miller pleaded guilty earlier this year in federal court to to five counts of health care fraud and one count of ddulteration of drugs after an investigation found that she fraudulently received more than $2 million from state, federal, and private medical insurance companies by way of fraudulent billing practices.
“This defendant not only defrauded victims out of millions of dollars, but her adulteration of drugs also caused health complications for a child,” Dettelbach said.
“This defendant likely thought she could get away with these crimes, but there are checks and balances in place to make sure that those engaging in heath care fraud don’t get away with it,” DeWine said.
The crimes happened during Miller’s time as the owner and operator of Coshocton’s Three Rivers Infusion and Pharmacy Specialists, a medial infusion supply company which also provided home health services and medical supplies. Between 2003 and 2009, Miller knowingly and willfully executed a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs such as Ohio Medicaid, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Ohio, TriCare, and Medicare, according to court documents.
Miller filed more than $1 million worth of claims for services using a false provider name, overstated the amount of nursing time needed to provide certain injections, and made fraudulent claims regarding the dosage and frequency of which certain drugs were dispensed, according to court documents.
Miller also altered the purity, quality, and strength of the drug Kineret, which is used to reduce the pain and swelling associated with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, according to court documents.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko and attorneys with Ohio Attorney General DeWine’s Health Care Fraud Section. The case was investigated by Attorney General DeWine’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; the Ohio Department of Insurance; the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.