Redirections Treatment Advocates, LLC
Outcome
Owner Jennifer Hess and operations manager Christopher Handa pleaded guilty 2018–2019 to unlawfully distributing buprenorphine and Medicaid fraud; Handa dispensed 18,146 doses of buprenorphine via fraudulent prescriptions while Hess forged physician signatures and aided five physicians in illegal prescribing; sentencing included probation for Hess.
Details
Redirections Treatment Advocates, LLC — Buprenorphine Diversion and Medicaid Fraud (2014–2019)
Outcome: Owner Jennifer Hess and operations manager Christopher Handa pleaded guilty to unlawful buprenorphine distribution and Medicaid fraud at Redirections Treatment Advocates, LLC, an addiction treatment facility with locations in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia; Handa dispensed 18,146 doses of buprenorphine through fraudulent prescriptions and caused fraudulent Medicaid claims; Hess forged physician signatures on blank prescriptions and was sentenced to probation.
Redirections Treatment Advocates, LLC was an addiction treatment facility founded and operated by Jennifer Hess, 49, of Washington, Pennsylvania, with multiple clinic locations in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. The clinics ostensibly provided opioid use disorder treatment, including the prescribing of buprenorphine (Suboxone/Subutex) for addiction management.
Christopher Handa, Redirections' operations manager, pleaded guilty on June 28, 2018, to two counts of unlawfully dispensing and distributing a Schedule III controlled substance, one count of conspiracy to unlawfully dispense and distribute controlled substances, and one count of health care fraud. Handa and co-conspirators created and submitted unlawful prescriptions for buprenorphine, dispensing 18,146 doses to individuals without valid medical prescriptions. They also caused fraudulent Medicaid claims to be submitted for payment covering these unlawfully dispensed drugs.
Jennifer Hess was indicted in June 2018 on a 47-count indictment alleging that she aided five physicians in unlawfully dispensing buprenorphine, completed blank pre-signed prescriptions, and forged physician signatures on blank prescriptions. Hess pleaded guilty in May 2019. She was sentenced to probation. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Primary Source: DOJ USAO-WDPA — Opioid Treatment Practice Owner Sentenced for Illegal Distribution of Buprenorphine and Health Care Fraud
How Crucible Prevents This
Hess routinely completed blank pre-signed prescriptions or forged physician signatures, and Handa dispensed thousands of doses of buprenorphine without valid prescriptions. Crucible's prescription authentication controls — requiring live practitioner verification for every controlled substance prescription at an addiction treatment facility — would have blocked the use of pre-signed blank prescriptions and detected the prescription forging pattern before 18,000+ doses were diverted.
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