Two nurse practitioners in Montana this week admitted charges that they conspired to defraud Medicare of millions of dollars in a scheme in which they received money to sign fraudulent orders for orthotic braces. Janae Nichole Harper, 34, of Kalispell, pleaded guilty April 21 to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Harper was a licensed nurse practitioner in Montana, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina and Wyoming and was enrolled as a medical provider with Medicare. Mark Allen Hill, 54, of Edinburg, North Dakota, and whose address of record for participation in the Medicare program was in Cut Bank, Montana, pleaded guilty on April 20 to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Hill was a licensed nurse practitioner in Montana, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Washington. These defendants were charged with submitting more than $6 billion in false and fraudulent claims to federal healthcare programs and private insurers, including more than $4.5 billion connected to telemedicine.
