Holly Blakely, a former San Antonio pharmaceutical rep in Texas, plead guilty and confessed her involvement in an $8.8 million healthcare fraud scheme.
Initially, Holly Blakely was charged in a 30-count indictment. This allegedly means that she paid more than $400,000 in bribes and kickbacks to clinicians for prescribing compounded medications. Compound medication is basically personalized medications produced in order to fit an individual’s exact medical needs. In this case, these compound medications, in particular, were designed to ease pain, but the people these were being given to did not require them.
Blakely confessed that she worked with two compounding pharmacies in order to push prescriptions for compound drugs. The pharmacies would then submit claims to health plans such as Tricare. In exchange for her part of the fraud, Blakely was paid $1.15 million.
Overall, Blakely pleaded guilty to a number of healthcare offenses including wire fraud, healthcare fraud, bribery, and paying kickbacks. Wire fraud simply put is when a person plans to obtain money based on false representation or promise using telecommunications or information technology. Meanwhile kickbacks is receiving money in increments in exchange for some type of service. While some kickbacks are prohibited and others are not, none can go against federal or state law such as this case clearly has.
Healthcare fraud is one of the most harmful white-collar criminal acts, and it can take many forms depending on the position those involved hold. The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) reports that The majority of health care fraud is committed by a very small minority of dishonest health care providers. Sadly, the actions of these deceitful few ultimately serve to sully the reputation of perhaps the most trusted and respected members of our society-our physicians. That being said, what makes healthcare fraud truly terrifying though is not the money or who is doing it, it is the fact that these people are often gambling with people’s health in order to commit these crimes.
Examples of healthcare fraud include billing for not rendered, unnecessary, or more expensive services, accepting bribes or kickbacks, and misrepresenting medication or treatments. There are a number of other types of healthcare fraud and schemes, but these are the ones people will most commonly come into contact with.
So looking forward, at the age of 45, Holly Blakely will be facing sentencing June 13th as a former pharmacy rep. from Texas who plead guilty to an $8.8 million healthcare fraud.
Those looking for more information on healthcare fraud and other such cases can find more information at Jeff Newman Law Help Center!
