DES MOINES, IA – A nurse practitioner from Des Moines, Iowa, Ashley Brown, DNP, ARNP, has been hit with a $52,560 fine to resolve allegations of fraudulent durable medical equipment (DME) prescriptions and kickback payments. The charges stem from hundreds of false claims submitted to Medicare for expensive orthotic braces that Brown is accused of prescribing without medical necessity.
Brown, who held the position of advanced registered nurse practitioner, signed off on over $1 million in false claims during her alleged scheme between April 17, 2020, and May 19, 2021. She was charged with writing prescriptions for orthotic braces that were not just unreasonable but also in direct violation of state and federal law.
The Civil Complaint filed by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, Timothy T. Duax, claimed that Brown had as little as nine seconds to review patient records before approving these braces. The complaint highlighted instances where patients who did not need or request the prescribed orthotic braces were affected, including a case where an amputee was given a knee brace despite having no use for it.
According to the allegations, Brown falsely claimed she had established valid prescriber/patient relationships when in reality, she had no contact with her patients. It is further alleged that for every patient reviewed, Brown received $20, sometimes totaling hundreds of dollars per review period.
Assistant United States Attorney Brandon J. Gray handled the case, which was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The full complaint can be accessed at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, with case file number 1:24-cv-00036.
The United States Attorney’s Office emphasized its commitment to pursuing and holding medical providers accountable for outsourcing their medical decision-making. Follow updates on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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