MARSHALL CO. WOMAN ACCUSED OF FORGING PRESCRIPTIONS FOR DRUGS PAID FOR BY TENNCARE

NASHVILLE - The Office of TennCare Inspector General (OIG) and the Lewisburg Police Department today announced the arrest of a Marshall County woman for TennCare fraud.

Susan Ada Blackwell of Lewisburg, Tennessee, a TennCare enrollee was arrested and charged for fraudulently obtaining TennCare medical assistance benefits. A warrant alleges she presented a forged prescription for 120 pills of Lortab to a pharmacy in Lewisburg. The Lortab, which is a powerful and addictive painkiller, was subsequently paid for by TennCare.

“Lewisburg police officers laid the groundwork for this case and asked for assistance, and that’s the kind of cooperation we’re building statewide,” Inspector General Deborah Faulkner said. “Local officers are usually the first point of contact with some of those who are committing TennCare fraud, and they want to get it off the streets as badly as we do.”

The charge against Blackwell is a Class E felony, punishable by up to four years in prison. A preliminary hearing was held shortly after the arrest at the request of Assistant District Attorney Eddie Bernard. Blackwell’s bond was set at $ 6,000 on the TennCare charge and the case was bound over to the grand jury, which meets on May 18th. Marshall County District Attorney Mike McCown is prosecuting.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tennessee.gov/tenncare and follow the prompts for “Report Fraud Now.”

TennCare is the state’s managed care health insurance program for 1.3 million people who are poor, disabled or uninsured.