A Pennsylvania pain clinic CEO was sentenced to 30 months in prison for her role in a scheme to defraud Medicare and HHS.
Florentina Mayko, 40, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, according to a Dec. 15 Justice Department news release. Ms. Mayko became CEO of Pain Medicine of York (Pa.) in 2018 and previously served as director of operations at another medical practice group, which the Justice Department did not identify in the release.
Ms. Mayko was hired to work at the group by an individual identified as "Physician 1," who was imprisoned for healthcare fraud and tax offenses. The operation of the physician's practice group was transferred to Pain Medicine of York, and Ms. Mayko ran day-to-day operations.
In 2016, Physician 1 and Rodney Yentzer, owner of Pain Medicine of York, began ordering multiple urine drug tests for each patient, regardless of medical necessity, according to the release. Ms. Mayko and Mr. Yentzer were aware the practice was illegal but continued billing Medicare for the unnecessary tests until 2019, when a search warrant was executed at the clinic's locations. The clinic shut down shortly after.
Medicare reimbursed the clinic for $4 million of the $10 million it billed, according to the release.
Ms. Mayko was also ordered to pay more than $1.4 million in restitution and forfeit several properties to the government. Mr. Yentzer pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering and is awaiting sentencing.