Health care CEO: 'I'm going to cheat. Don't tell anyone.'

Federal court records have revealed new details and eye-raising emails in the case of two Middle Tennessee health care CEOs who allegedly plotted to forge the signature of a dead patient and used illegal kickbacks to defraud Medicare out of millions.

John Davis, 41, the former CEO of Comprehensive Pain Specialists, and Brenda Montgomery, 71, the head of CCC Medical, were indicted last April by federal prosecutors. Montgomery pleaded guilty to fraud in January and is awaiting sentencing. Davis has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Montgomery has admitted that she paid kickbacks to Davis in return for him allegedly referring her patients who were in need of medical devices like knee and back braces, whom she used to file about $4.6 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims.

Prosecutors have also said the Davis and Montgomery conspired to forge the signature of a patient who had died so they could continue to bill Medicare in his name. This fraud was revealed in emails between the two CEOs that were later obtained by federal authorities and became the central to the ongoing prosecution.

Read more: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/health/2019/02/04/tennessee-health-care-ceo-medicaid-fraud-pain-clinics-going-to-cheat/2726150002/