Tallahassee - Nay 25, 2022: Respiratory therapist Desiree Maddox has been arrested on one count of Medicaid provider fraud. She is accused of falsifying documentation to bilk Medicaid out of more than $4,000.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit made the arrest with the assistance of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Maddox worked for the home health care agency EZ Inspiration. She had been providing respiratory therapy to a child Medicaid recipient, but Attorney General Ashley Moody says she submitted timesheets for services never provided.
“The defendant stopped providing respiratory therapy services to a child Medicaid recipient, despite the patient’s ongoing need for treatment, and continued to bill for services not rendered," said the Attorney General. "This is unacceptable and I am thankful for my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit stopping this fraud.”
According to the MFCU investigation, the owner of EZ Inspiration learned from the recipient’s doctor that the child was no longer receiving respiratory therapy despite having an ongoing need for it. When questioned, the family of the child believed that the services formerly provided by Maddox had been terminated. However, Maddox continued to submit timesheets and service notes to EZ Inspirations for four months after not providing the therapy.
Maddox faces one count of Medicaid provider fraud, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The State Attorney’s Office for the Ninth Judicial Circuit will prosecute this case.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From January 2019 to the present, the MFCU has obtained more than $112 million in settlements and judgments.
The Florida MFCU is funded through a grant totaling $27,734,297 for Federal Fiscal Year 2022, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The Federal Share of these funds is 75% totaling $20,800,724. The State Matching Share of these funds is 25% totaling $6,933,573 and is funded by Florida.