Staff Reports
A federal jury in Maryland has convicted a lab owner for running a brazen Medicare billing scheme that preyed on nursing homes during the COVID pandemic. The verdict centers on a man who sold COVID tests, then billed Medicare for unrelated, expensive respiratory tests that doctors never ordered and, in many cases, were never done. This case is a blunt reminder that fraudsters will use any crisis to line their pockets — and taxpayers will pay the bill.
Jury convicts lab owner in $18.7 million Medicare fraud
Patrick Britton‑Harr, owner of Provista Health, was found guilty on five counts of health‑care fraud and one count of transactional money laundering. Prosecutors say his company submitted roughly $18.7 million in claims for respiratory‑pathogen panel (RPP) testing over a six‑month stretch. Medicare paid more than $7.2 million on those claims. Sentencing will be set later, and while each count carries a long statutory maximum, a judge will decide the actual punishment.
How the scheme worked
The scheme was simple and ugly. Britton‑Harr offered COVID screening to nursing homes desperate for testing. After specimens were taken and other labs ran the real COVID tests, his operation billed Medicare for costly RPP tests that physicians never ordered. The government showed that inexperienced staff and interns were told to submit an RPP claim every time a COVID swab was done — even after the Arizona lab he named as the testing site was closed and stripped of equipment. In some cases, claims were filed for residents who were already dead.
Luxury buys paid for with stolen taxpayer dollars
Prosecutors presented evidence that the fraud financed a flashy lifestyle. Among the items cited: a $112,500 Porsche and $25,000 monthly mortgage payments on an Annapolis waterfront home. This wasn’t a businessman taking a risk — it was theft on a scale that targeted some of the nation’s most vulnerable people. The U.S. Attorney called the conduct “unconscionable,” and the FBI said the verdict sends a clear message that stealing from taxpayers will be pursued aggressively.
Why the verdict matters — and what comes next
This conviction matters for two reasons. First, it punishes someone who exploited nursing‑home residents during a public‑health crisis. Second, it shows federal prosecutors and investigators are keeping up the pressure on health‑care fraud. The case was led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland with help from the Department of Justice Fraud Division, the FBI, and HHS‑OIG. Britton‑Harr also faces the weight of a prior fraud conviction, which paints a pattern prosecutors like to point to. Sentencing is the next key date. For taxpayers and patients, the hope is that the sentence will be severe enough to deter the next fraudster who thinks a pandemic is their payday.
