A nurse practitioner in West Virginia has pleaded guilty to four counts of healthcare fraud, according to a March 19 news release from the Justice Department.
What happened?
- Shawn Blankenship, NP, owner of a medical clinic in St. Albans, W.Va., admitted to knowingly submitting false claims to Medicaid and Managed Care Organizations for medically unnecessary services that were never provided.
- According to court documents, Mr. Blankenship filed four fraudulent claims for services requiring a licensed practitioner’s presence. These included three smoking cessation services and a 15-minute outpatient office visit — allegedly conducted on Oct. 29, 2020 — when Blankenship and his clinic’s other licensed nurse practitioners were in Hilton Head, S.C.
- Investigators estimate the total losses from Mr. Blankenship’s fraudulent activities at approximately $600,000.
What’s next?
- Mr. Blankenship is set to be sentenced on July 21 and faces up to 40 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.
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