MM Curator summary
[MM Curator Summary]: She got paid for psych assessments that never happened (but should have as part of a bariatric surgery work-up).
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A Colorado Springs woman who runs a mental health services business is being charged with stealing $240,000 from Medicaid, after taking payment for psychological testing services that never happened, according to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office.
Martha Sutherland, who operated Front Range Mental Health and Summit Assessments, submitted Medicaid claims and was paid for psychological testing services that never happened, according to a news release from the office of AG Phil Weiser.
An investigation by the Colorado Department of Law’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit found that between Aug. 25, 2017, and Feb. 26, 2021, Sutherland routinely filed claims and received Medicaid reimbursement for pre-bariatric surgery mental health assessments that were not provided, according to the release.
According to the arrest warrant affidavit filed in El Paso County District Court, Sutherland also billed for the same service multiple times. The total value of the alleged theft is $240,000.
Sutherland is charged with theft, a class three felony, and cybercrime, a class four felony.
“Medicaid provides essential health care services for many of our state’s most vulnerable residents,” Weiser said. “We will hold accountable those who would take advantage of this system for their own gain and, in turn, take resources away from those in need.”
Clipped from: https://www.csbj.com/news/springs-woman-charged-with-medicaid-fraud/article_eb763a38-d7b0-11ec-a692-8f339ed6b88d.html