High AWP Omeprazole leads to $2.3M Medicaid Fraud Case

An Ohio pharmacist and owner of four pharmacies, along with a technician, have been found guilty by a federal jury for Medicaid fraud to the tune of $2.3M dollars. The recent announcement by the Department of Justice states each were convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of defrauding Medicaid. Each guilty count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison – they are currently awaiting sentencing.

Investigators discovered the pharmacist and technician conspired a plan to bill Medicaid for the highest reimbursed NDC for omeprazole but dispense over-the-counter product. The discovery was made when inventory purchases for the NDC billed fell short of the number of units billed to Medicaid. Upon further investigation, it was found the product dispensed for these claims was purchased over-the-counter at a big box store. The pharmacy also billed Medicaid for omeprazole when no prescriptions existed. The submission of these claims was cited as false and fraudulent, leading to the charges and conviction.

Ensure your pharmacy has internal controls in place to avoid potential invoice shortage issues (e.g., NDC scanners at the filling station). Pharmacy staff must be trained to understand the importance of billing, filling, and purchasing the correct NDCs.

More than just training, PAAS’ FWA/HIPAA compliance program can help pharmacies prevent and detect potential FWA in the workplace.

Dana Westberg, CPhT
Latest posts by Dana Westberg, CPhT (see all)