Dexter counselor must reimburse state for Medicaid fraud

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A counseling provider in Dexter, Mo., will pay the state more than $27,000 for committing Medicaid fraud, Attorney General Chris Koster announced Wednesday.

Koster said that Betty J. Berhelot, owner of Berthelot Counseling Co., knowingly submitted false claims for counseling services she did not provide and supplied the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with medical records that had been altered in order to defraud the state. As part of the settlement, Berthelot admitted that she was not following established Medicaid rules and procedures governing the delivery of counseling services.

"Providers like Berthelot are reimbursed for counseling children on Medicaid. In this case, the recipients did not receive the necessary services," Koster said. "I am committed to ensuring providers do what Medicaid pays them to do."

Koster said the settlement requires Berthelot to pay $27,190 in restitution and to forfeit her Medicaid-provider status. Failure to comply with the terms of the settlement could result in her criminal prosecution.

Pertinent address:

Dexter, Mo.