Dr. Patrick Muffley of Lewis Center and Lisa Fillhart of Lima pleaded guilty on Oct. 19 in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in a scheme that took about $1.6 million ($1,645,052) from Ohio’s Medicaid program, Attorney General Andy Wilson’s office announced on Oct. 21, 2026. The state says the two submitted more than 27,000 fraudulent claims for telehealth services that were never provided.
For anyone on Medicaid, the concrete question is whether the visits listed under their name match the visits they actually attended. The claims in this case were dated, in many instances, on days when the doctor never logged into the telehealth portal.
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What did the doctor and the clinic manager plead to?
Muffley, 56, pleaded guilty to felony theft and Medicaid fraud in a bill of information in Franklin County. His sentencing is set for Jan. 14, and he has agreed to pay restitution before then. The Ohio Department of Medicaid suspended his provider agreement in September.
Fillhart, 61, pleaded guilty to Medicaid fraud and unlicensed practice of nursing in a separate bill of information. The release says she presented herself as a nurse and gave medical advice without a nursing license. She was sentenced the same day to 12 months of community control, with a possible 18-month prison term if she violates its terms.
How did claims for visits that never happened pile up?
The scheme ran from January 2021 through March 2026 at Embody Wellness Obstetrics and Gynecology on Cleveland Avenue in Columbus, which the attorney general’s office says mainly provided addiction-management services. Muffley falsified appointment records to support the telehealth claims, according to the release. A notice on the clinic’s website says it will close in the coming weeks.
The Ohio Auditor of State’s Office referred the case, and the attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated and is prosecuting it. “These defendants schemed to steal Medicaid dollars intended to help Ohioans in need,” Wilson said in the release. “Excellent work by our team of investigators and prosecutors to expose this fraud and bring these criminals to justice,” he added.
The unit is funded 75 percent by a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grant and 25 percent by the attorney general’s office. For fiscal 2027 the release lists $17,798,161 in federal money and $5,932,720 in state money.
Where do Ohioans report a provider billing for care they never got?
The Ohio Department of Medicaid’s fraud reporting page says reports about medical providers go to the attorney general, either by phone at 614-466-0722 or through the office’s online “Report Medicaid Fraud” form. The page asks people to include as many details as possible and says anonymous reports are always an option.
The attorney general’s health care fraud section reports that its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit received 1,494 allegations of fraud and abuse in 2025, secured 153 indictments and 110 criminal convictions, and recovered $27 million in restitution and penalties. Across 2021 through 2025 the section handled 5,854 complaints and recovered more than $124 million.
What should Medicare enrollees compare against their own records?
Medicare is a separate program from Medicaid, and the Ohio case involved Medicaid. The advice from Medicare.gov for spotting the same kind of billing problem is simple: compare the dates and services on a personal calendar with the Medicare statements that arrive, and confirm each listed service was received.
Anyone who suspects Medicare fraud can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), and people can also create a Medicare.gov account to see claims as soon as they are processed. Medicare says it will never call to sell anything or visit a person at home.
Would you spot a visit that never happened on your own statement?
A provider billing for visits that never happened costs the program first, but patients feel it when records under their names are wrong. Spotting it depends on the habit of checking statements against a calendar, and on keeping thieves out of the accounts those statements live in.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
