A New York woman pleaded guilty on June 17, 2024, to fraudulently destroying over 2,600 COVID-19 vaccines and issuing a corresponding number of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination record cards.
According to court documents, the defendant was a midwife at an authorized COVID-19 vaccine administration site in Albany, New York. She conspired to obstruct the government’s distribution of COVID-19 vaccines by providing COVID-19 vaccination record cards to individuals who were not vaccinated, including to minors who were at the time ineligible to be vaccinated, and to Canadian citizens who were not present in the United States when they were purportedly vaccinated.
In addition to destroying COVID-19 vaccines and issuing fraudulent vaccination record cards, the midwife and her co-conspirators made over 2,600 false entries into a New York State database that tracked COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
The midwife pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States and its departments and agencies. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. She has agreed to pay more than $37,000 in restitution for the destroyed vaccines.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Licensed healthcare personnel are expected to exhibit honesty, accuracy, and integrity in the provision of care, including performing assessments, reporting changes in condition, acknowledging errors in practice and reporting them promptly, accurately charting and reporting, implementing care as ordered, complying with all laws and rules affecting the practice of healthcare professions and complying with the related standards of practice. Falsifying documents regarding care, incomplete or inaccurate documentation of care, failure to provide the care documented, or other acts of deception or omission raise serious concerns about an individual’s ability to provide safe care and prevents subsequent caregivers from having a complete and accurate picture of the resident’s care and condition. Falsifying vaccination records is a serious offense and can be viewed as fraud. Quick action should be taken when falsified medical records are discovered.
Discussion Points
- Review your policies and procedures for following standards of care and requirements for documentation in medical records. Update as needed.
- Train all appropriate staff on your policies and procedures for following standards of care and meeting regulatory requirements for medical record content as set forth in F842 Medical Records. Document that these trainings occurred and file the signed documents in each employee’s education file.
- Periodically audit medical records to ensure that documentation is complete, meets standards for content and timeliness, and that entries have not been falsified or erroneously reported in any way.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
