EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) — Officials state a nurse practitioner pleaded guilty to prescribing medications without following the proper steps while she was in an inappropriate relationship with a patient.
According to Attorney General Michelle Henry, 46-year-old Stefanie King, of Ulster, Bradford County, was found to be falsely billing private insurers in excess of $300,000, as well as $100,000 to the Commonwealth, for services below acceptable medical treatment standards.
Investigators also say she wrote over 3,750 prescriptions to patients while not meeting the requirements to prescribe under Pennsylvania law.
As stated in the release, King was in a sexual relationship with a patient beginning in November 2016 at her Athens practice and billed a private insurer for the time they spent together.
Police say King later got into a second relationship with a different patient and continued to prescribe controlled substances to him, despite discontinuing medical care after the relationship began.
Under Pennsylvania law, officials state nurse practitioners are required to enter into collaborative agreements with Pennsylvania licensed physicians in order to perform medical diagnoses and to prescribe controlled substances.
Investigators found King misled past physician collaborators and renewed previous agreements without their knowledge.
The defendant abused her position of trust by engaging in conduct that served herself and violated a system meant to assist our most vulnerable residents.”
Michelle Henry, Attorney General
King pleaded guilty to violating the controlled substance act obtained by subterfuge, Medicaid fraud, insurance fraud, and violating the controlled substance act delivery by a practitioner.
She has agreed not to practice as a nurse for the duration of her sentence and voluntarily surrendered her license to practice as a certified registered nurse practitioner.
The judge also is requiring King to pay restitution in the amount of $348,760 to Highmark and $100,425 to Community Care Behavioral Health Organization.
