Attorney General's News Release

May 6, 1999

St. Louis home health care provider pleads guilty to Medicaid fraud; state to recover approximately $300,000

Clayton, Mo. — The owner of a St. Louis business that provided home health care services today pleaded guilty to three criminal counts of Medicaid fraud for collecting payments for services she did not provide. The charges were brought by Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon and St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCulloch.

Felisha Deanna Fields (DOB - 6/11/63), the owner of Artistic Home Health, admitted she defrauded the Missouri Medicaid program on three occasions in 1998 by submitting false claims for reimbursement from the program.

St. Louis County Circuit Court Judge James Hartenbach ordered Fields to repay the Medicaid program approximately $30,000, gave her a five year suspended sentence and prohibited her from participating as a Medicaid or Medicare provider for 10 years. Fields already repaid the state approximately $275,000 last year after an audit by the Missouri Division of Medical Services, bringing the total recovery to more than $300,000.

"We won't tolerate the pilfering of taxpayers' money through phony billings and will continue to prosecute those who illegally profit through such practices," Nixon said.

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Attorney General's Office has authority under state law to investigate and prosecute, both civilly and criminally, allegations of fraud against Missouri's Medicaid program.

Inquiries from consumers should be directed to consumer@ago.mo.gov or 1-800-392-8222 (from within Missouri) or 573-751-3321 (outside Missouri).

All media inquiries should be directed to Press Secretary John Fougere.

E-mail      Phone: 573-751-8844         Fax: 573-751-5818