TENNCARE FRAUD ARREST IN HAWKINS COUNTYWOMAN ACCUSED OF USING FORGED PRESCRIPTIONNASHVILLE – A Hawkins County woman is charged with using TennCare to pay for a painkiller prescription that had been telephoned to a local pharmacy. Doctors’ offices often telephone prescriptions to a pharmacy for patients – but in this case officials say the woman pretended to be a nurse phoning in a prescription. Twenty-four year old Bobbi Jo Tackett of Churchill was arrested in Rogersville by OIG officers. An indictment charges her with a Class D felony for fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance and a Class E felony for fraudulently obtaining TennCare benefits. The charges against Tackett indicate she used TennCare to pay for a fake prescription for Hydrocodone, an addictive painkiller. “Pharmacies across Tennessee should always be on alert for people trying to obtain prescription drugs, especially the more powerful painkillers that carry a high risk of addiction,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. “We’re working with pharmacies in rural and urban areas to make sure they know what to look out for and what to do when they suspect that someone’s trying to fraudulently obtain drugs and get taxpayers to pay for their habit.” If convicted, Tackett could face up to four years in prison on the controlled substance charge and up to two years in prison on the TennCare fraud charge. Bond was set at $10,000. District Attorney General C. Berkeley Bell is prosecuting. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tennessee.gov/tenncare and follow the prompts that read “Report Fraud Now.” TennCare is the state’s managed care health insurance program for 1.3 million people who are poor, disabled or uninsured.
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