A Jacksonville man faces five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to falsifying patient progress notes for children to get payouts from TRICARE.
According to federal officials, John Christopher Walcutt was the former managing member of Keystone Behavioral Pediatrics, a developmental center for children with developmental, learning and behavioral needs.
Investigators found he submitted false claims to TRICARE, a health program for military personnel, after a 2011 audit request
Federal officials said Keystone certified that some of its pediatric patients had received one-on-one counseling and therapy.
Some of the patients were also represented to have received therapy for autism from licensed and credentialed providers.
Federal officials said many of the patients had not received one-on-one counseling or therapy from licensed and credentialed providers and, in some cases, were left unsupervised in a small “play pen” area.
Only some of the children had received therapy in a group setting.
In most cases, non-credentialed employees, including graduate students, were treating the children.
Officials said Walcutt and others participated in the altering of patient files sent to the government during the audit.
As a result of the falsified patient records, TRICARE paid Keystone approximately $600,000 for claims that otherwise would not have been reimbursable, court documents show.
Walcutt faces a maximum of five years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Cox Media Group
