A Davidson County woman is charged with TennCare fraud involving doctor shopping, or using TennCare to go to multiple providers in a short time period to obtain controlled substances.
The Office of Inspector General, with assistance from Metro Nashville Police, today announced the arrest of Sharon Epperson, 31, of Hermitage. She is charged with six counts of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain controlled substances by doctor shopping for the painkillers Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, and Tramadol, using TennCare as payment.
“We’re very grateful for the assistance we receive from local police as well as pharmacies and providers who all want to bring an end to the abuse of TennCare, especially in the area of prescription drugs,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said.
“We’ll keep pursuing people who commit these crimes as many times as it takes until they understand we’re not tolerating this type of abuse of the TennCare program.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Glenn Funk is prosecuting.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,428 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to
www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."