Cannon Co. Woman Charged 3rd Time with TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Cannon County woman is charged for the third time with doctor shopping for prescription drugs, using TennCare benefits as payment.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with the assistance of the Cannon County Sheriff’s Office, today announced the arrest of Taylor R. Cantrell, 24, of Readyville. She is charged in a Cannon County indictment with using TennCare to visit multiple physicians in a short period of time in order to obtain controlled substances, with TennCare paying for either the clinical visit or the prescriptions.

Cantrell was arrested in May after she was indicted by a Coffee County Grand Jury and charged with two counts of fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance by doctor shopping. And just two months before that, in March, she was indicted in Warren County on four counts of using TennCare to obtain controlled substances by doctor shopping.

In all three incidents, Cantrell sought the treatment of several medical providers at various facilities in order to gain prescriptions for painkillers, including Oxycodone, Hydrocodone and Tramadol and used TennCare as payment.

“The abuse of TennCare benefits, especially to obtain pain medications, is one of our many priorities,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.  “Local law enforcement, providers and the healthcare community are with us in the effort to weed this problem out 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 Jennings H. Jones is prosecuting the Cannon County case.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,451 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 go to https://www.tn.gov/tnoig.