Tina Bell, the proprietor of the now-defunct Superior Well being Inc., has been charged with Medicaid fraud and endangering weak folks in her care.

Though licensed as a house well being company that offered non-medical care, Bell operated shared care houses the place Medicaid recipients lived. She made claims for medical care by misrepresenting the {qualifications} of the suppliers and the places the place the care was offered.

Superior Well being was a house well being care firm based mostly in Erie, Pennsylvania, that offered private care providers to shoppers.

Bell faces a number of costs, together with theft by deception, receiving stolen property, Medicaid fraud, tampering with public data and neglect of a dependent.

An investigation by the Pennsylvania Legal professional Normal's Workplace discovered that Bell allegedly acquired greater than $1 million in Medicaid funds for providers that didn’t happen or offered insufficient care, each of which put weak people in danger. As well as, she allegedly falsified paperwork throughout audits of state officers to take care of her fraudulent actions, which risked detection.

“The defendant allegedly endangered sufferers by offering substandard care and providers, and defrauded a system designed to assist essentially the most weak Pennsylvanians,” Pennsylvania Legal professional Normal Michelle Henry stated in an announcement.

The investigation additionally discovered that Bell failed to supply enough staffing and care, together with directing an unlicensed particular person to carry out nursing duties.

Moreover, throughout an audit by the Pennsylvania Division of Well being, Bell is alleged to have falsified data to hide critical deficiencies, corresponding to understaffing, lack of necessary coaching and failure to conduct required well being screenings for workers. She can be accused of producing false medical and monetary documentation to assist her fraudulent claims for fee.

Bell's preliminary listening to is scheduled for Jan. 31.