Dickson County Woman Charged with Doctor Shopping

(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) - A Dickson County woman is charged with TennCare fraud involving doctor shopping, which is the crime of going to multiple doctors in a short period of time to obtain controlled substances, using TennCare as payment.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the Dickson County Sheriff’s Office, today announced the arrest of Christian L. Ola, 29, of Dickson. She is charged with three counts of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain controlled substances by doctor shopping for prescriptions for the pain reliever Percocet, with the prescriptions being paid for by TennCare.

“We’re very grateful for the assistance we receive from local police as well as pharmacies and providers who all want to bring an end to the abuse of TennCare, especially in the area of prescription drugs,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. “We’ll keep pursuing people who commit these crimes as many times as it takes until they understand we’re not tolerating this type of abuse of the TennCare program.”

TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General W. Ray Crouch, Jr., is prosecuting.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,381 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions.  Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to Office of Inspector General and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."