NORTH VERNON — A criminal case against a North Vernon registered nurse is among more than a dozen highlighted by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita as part of nationwide enforcement action against licensed medical professionals who allegedly participate in fraudulent health care schemes.
Lori Pribble, 59, of North Vernon, was charged June 20 in Jefferson Superior Court in Madison with a single misdemeanor count of criminal recklessness, online court records show.
Information filed against Pribble alleges that while working in a nursing home, she flushed a patient’s catheter with vinegar, causing chemical burns to the victim’s bladder, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
“Pribble admitted that she obtained the vinegar from the facility’s kitchen after she couldn’t locate the appropriate medical-grade solution ordered by the physician,” the office said in a press release Wednesday.
The case was investigated by Kenneth Jasper and is being prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Maureen O’Donnell, both with the Indiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MCFU) within the AG’s office. An initial hearing for Pribble is set for July 22, according to online court records.
The MFCU conducted 14 criminal investigations into alleged Medicaid fraud, leading to charges against 14 individuals across the state, Rokita’s office said Wednesday. The cases involve licensed health care professionals and Medicaid providers suspected of illegal activity.
In 13 of the 14 cases, MFCU attorneys are prosecuting the alleged crimes with assent of the local prosecutors’ offices in the counties where the alleged crimes occurred, according to Rokita’s office.
The investigations are part of a nationwide fraud crackdown led by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Indiana Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from HHS under a federal grant. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of Indiana.
“The Medicaid program was created to provide needed medical care to disabled and low-income Hoosiers,” Rokita said. “Instead, too many unethical providers steal Medicaid funds and resources to serve their own selfish interests. Our team of lawyers and investigators will keep pursuing and prosecuting lawbreakers who illegally try to defraud the system.”
