A former office manager for a Texas healthcare company pleaded guilty in connection with a massive Dallas-area Medicare fraud scheme.
Teri Sivils pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud for her role in an alleged patient-recruiting and false-billing effort that led to $374 million in fraudulent claims made to Medicare and Medicaid.
Medistat, which primarily provides home health certifications and visits, certified more Medicare beneficiaries for home healthcare services, and had more patients than any other medical practice in the nation between 2006 and 2011, according to the government.
The government accused Dr. Jacques Roy, who owned Medistat Group Associates in DeSoto, Texas, of directing doctors and other staff to bill for home healthcare services that were not medically necessary or didn't take place.
Sivils was Medistat's office manager from 2005 through 2010, and the government alleged she accepted kickbacks from the owners of a different home healthcare provider in exchange for ensuring that documents needed to certify patients for home healthcare services included Roy's signature or that of another Medistat doctor.
“It was a very, very difficult decision for Ms. Sivils, but with 10 to 15 years in the penitentiary looming over her head and the government's offer of probation, I think that she made the right decision,” said her attorney, Bill McMurrey.
As part of her plea agreement, Sivils will face probation but no imprisonment. She is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 21.
The cases against Roy and several other defendants are still pending, and others have pleaded guilty in connection with the allegations.
