Tennessee Woman Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – A Strawberry Plains, Tennessee woman, who billed Virginia Medicaid for services that were not completed, pled guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon to one count of federal health care fraud, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced.

Kathy Marie Patrick, 61, formerly of Richlands, Virginia, pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to one count of health care fraud. At sentencing, Patrick faces up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a fine of up to $250,000. Patrick also agreed to pay $30,968.40 in restitution. A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for April 30, 2020.

According to court documents, Patrick worked as a services facilitator for Virginia Medicaid from August 2012 through September 2019. Services facilitators are responsible for assisting individuals, who have chosen to receive care at home as an alternative to a nursing facility, by providing home visits, training, assessments, and other services on a regular basis.

Patrick admitted today that on multiple occasions, she billed for training to recipients and/or employers of record that had not actually been completed. Some of these visits were alleged to have occurred while Patrick was working her other jobs at the Cumberland Mountain Community Services Board and, later, Dollywood.                                                                                                        

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.  Special Assistant United States Attorney and Assistant Attorney General Janine Myatt is prosecuting the case for the United States.