Federal law enforcement officials have brought charges against nearly 200 individuals, including more than a dozen healthcare providers in Indiana, for defrauding health care programs and exploiting vulnerable patients. The cases involve a variety of schemes, including owners of a pharmaceutical company accused of purchasing discounted drugs from the black market and reselling them to pharmacies with fake documentation. Additionally, two wound care companies and two nurse practitioners were charged with using unnecessary and expensive equipment on elderly patients in hospice care.
Many of the cases in Indiana involved providers stealing drugs, particularly opioids, from clinical facilities and patients, and attempting to conceal their theft. Some healthcare workers even went as far as stealing credit and bank cards from nursing home residents in order to make personal purchases. For example, purchases ranged from motorcycle parts to jewelry to cash.
In one instance, a nurse from LaPorte allegedly submitted false claims to a Medicaid program for services that were never provided. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the importance of combatting health care fraud, stating that it is not a victimless crime and that efforts will continue to disrupt schemes that target vulnerable patients.
For further inquiries, Binghui Huang can be contacted at 317-385-1595 or via email at Bhuang@gannett.com.