Maryland Lab Owner Convicted in $18.7 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
Medicare Fraud: Maryland laboratory owner convicted over fraudulent respiratory testing claims.
A federal jury in Maryland has convicted a laboratory owner of defrauding Medicare of millions of dollars through a respiratory testing scheme targeting nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patrick Britton-Harr, 42, of Annapolis, was found guilty of five counts of healthcare fraud and one count of transactional money laundering. Prosecutors said his company, Provista Health, submitted $18.7 million in fraudulent claims for expensive respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) tests. Medicare paid more than $7.2 million of those claims.
According to the US Department of Justice, Britton-Harr exploited nursing homes that urgently needed COVID-19 testing services in 2020. After other laboratories processed residents’ COVID-19 samples, his company billed Medicare separately for extensive respiratory tests that physicians had not ordered. Evidence also showed that many of the tests were never performed.
Nursing Homes Targeted During Pandemic
Court documents and trial evidence showed that Britton-Harr offered COVID-19 testing services to nursing homes across the United States in 2020.
After collecting residents’ specimens, other laboratories conducted the COVID-19 tests. However, Britton-Harr allegedly used those testing events to generate separate Medicare claims for RPP tests. These panels screened for more than 30 respiratory pathogens.
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Prosecutors said Britton-Harr falsely represented that treating physicians had ordered the additional tests. Several physicians testified that they had never ordered an RPP test for any patient during their medical careers.
The fraudulent billing continued even after Britton-Harr closed his Arizona laboratory. According to trial evidence, he had barred staff from working there and no longer had the equipment needed to perform the tests.
The company also billed Medicare for tests that were never conducted. Some claims involved nursing home residents who had already died.
Employees Directed to Submit False Claims
Evidence presented at trial showed that Britton-Harr directed inexperienced employees to submit claims for RPP tests whenever the company conducted a COVID-19 test.
Those employees included a family member and high school and college-aged interns. Prosecutors said he used their lack of experience to facilitate the fraudulent billing scheme.
US Attorney Kelly O. Hayes for the District of Maryland condemned the exploitation of elderly nursing home residents during the pandemic.
Hayes said the verdict reinforced the government’s commitment to prosecuting fraud and protecting vulnerable people and taxpayer funds.
FBI Baltimore Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul also welcomed the conviction. He said the FBI would continue pursuing individuals who steal from American taxpayers.
Paul noted that Britton-Harr had previously been convicted in a separate investment fraud case involving private citizens.
Fraud Proceeds Funded Luxury Lifestyle
Prosecutors said Britton-Harr used proceeds from the Medicare scheme to finance an expensive lifestyle.
His purchases included a Porsche 911 worth $112,500. He also made monthly mortgage payments of $25,000 on a waterfront mansion in Annapolis.
The luxury purchases featured in the government’s evidence illustrated how prosecutors said he used money obtained through fraudulent claims.
Defendant Faces Potential Prison Sentence
The jury convicted Britton-Harr on five healthcare fraud counts and one transactional money laundering count. Each count carries a maximum potential prison sentence of 10 years, according to the Department of Justice.
The court will schedule a sentencing hearing at a later date. A federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the FBI investigated the case. Trial Attorney Chris Wenger of the Justice Department’s Fraud Division, Health Care Fraud Section, and Assistant US Attorney Ari Evans prosecuted it.
US Authorities Expand Healthcare Fraud Enforcement
The Justice Department said its Fraud Division focuses on investigating and prosecuting fraud against the American public. The department also linked its work to President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President JD Vance.
The department’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has operated since 2007. According to the Justice Department, its nine strike forces have charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal healthcare programmes and private insurers more than $45 billion.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and HHS-OIG are also working to hold providers accountable for involvement in healthcare fraud schemes.
The case highlights the financial and legal consequences of submitting false medical claims, particularly when such schemes exploit vulnerable patients and public healthcare funding.
