Full Breakdown
Brentwood Optometrist Sentenced for $7 Million Government Health-Care Fraud Scheme
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Sentencing and Penalty
On September 10, a federal judge sentenced Helen Boerman, a 48-year-old optometric physician from Brentwood, Tennessee, to 42 months in prison for a health-care fraud scheme that defrauded Medicare, TennCare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. The court ordered one year of supervised release after imprisonment and mandated restitution of $6,970,583.50 to the affected government programs and private insurers. Boerman is scheduled to surrender to begin serving her sentence later.
Scheme Mechanics and Financial Impact
According to federal prosecutors, Boerman used her practice, Brentwood Eye Care, to submit roughly $11 million in false claims and received about $6.9 million in reimbursements. The fraud involved billing Medicare for wound-care products that were never purchased or used and “splitting” single-use products to claim multiple treatments. In at least one instance, Medicare was billed for services on six dates despite only two patients having appointments on three of those days. Prosecutors said Boerman directed staff to create fabricated records to support the fraudulent claims.
Investigation and Legal Proceedings
The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General. After pleading guilty to one count of making false, fictitious or fraudulent claims, Boerman received the prison term and restitution order outlined above.
Future Consequences
Beyond the prison term and supervised release, the restitution payment aims to recover the $6.97 million taken from Medicare, TennCare, the federal employee health program and several private insurers. The sentencing underscores ongoing federal efforts to combat health-care fraud and serves as a warning to other providers who might consider similar schemes.