An Ashland City doctor, Dr. John R. Manning, has been handed a three-year federal prison term for his role in a health care fraud conspiracy, resulting in nearly $20 million in losses to Medicare, as confirmed by Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee. Manning, a 64-year-old licensed physician, was accused of exploitation, working for telemedicine companies where, prosecutors state he signed off on medical equipment, creams, and cancer test orders with scant or no actual patient interaction, often not even a brief conversation had occurred before these prescriptions were authorized which were then used to submit fraudulent Medicare claims totaling over $41 million from June 2016 to April 2019.
Upon pleading guilty to the conspiracy charge, Manning admitted to accepting more than $812,000 in kickbacks in exchange for his role in causing the enormous $41,083,490.62 in false claims made to Medicare—and of that sum, Medicare paid out in excess of $19 million. "This doctor ignored his oath to help people and bilked the taxpayers out of almost $20 million," Acting U.S. Attorney McGuire denounced in a statement on the U.S. Attorney's Office official website, "now he faces accountability for his actions and the taxpayers get some justice for being taken advantage of." In the wake of these revelations, Manning has been ordered to make a substantial restitution payment to the Medicare program, amounting to $19,780,565.44, and will also forfeit a sum of $812,303.41 as part of the sentence.
The sheer magnitude of this scheme underscores the federal commitment to uphold the integrity of health care systems and hold health care professionals accountable for fraudulent practices, as expressed by Special Agent in Charge Kelly Blackmon with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). "Health care providers that participate in the federal health care system are required to obey the laws and regulations meant to protect the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid program," Blackmon added on the U.S. Attorney's Office, affirming that HHS-OIG is steadfast in partnering with law enforcement to enforce these laws.
The collaboration between various agencies, including HHS-OIG and the FBI's Nashville Field Office, has been crucial to rooting out such fraudulent activities, "Health care fraud is a crime that hurts all of us and drives up health care costs," Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico emphasized of the FBI, acknowledging the gravity of such crimes and reinforcing the Bureau's resolve in combating such exploitations of the system, with the aid of law enforcement partners, the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office they strived in the pursuit to shed light on and penalize those who seek illegal gain, solidifying justice on behalf of all taxpayers, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Levine and Trial Attorney Kathryn Furtado of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are credited for their roles in prosecuting the case, taking strides toward deterrence and maintaining public trust in health care institutions. The sentence imposed on Manning serves as a tangible example of the repercussions that follow when those entrusted to safeguard health, instead navigate the corridors of power and privilege for self-enrichment at the public's expense.
