Kalamazoo social worker indicted for health care fraud
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – A federal grand jury has indicted a Kalamazoo social worker on twelve counts of felony health care fraud.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says 57-year-old Olga Ortiz-Button, a Kalamazoo licensed masters social worker, billed insurances companies more than $275,000 for counseling services for patients in excess of those actually provided, as well as billing for counseling services for family members of patients to whom she had never provided such services.
U.S. Attorney Donald Davis says that Ortiz-Button engaged in the fraud from 2002 to 2008 while she worked at Christian Counseling Center.
Each county of health care fraud is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a $250,000 fine and forfeiture of proceeds.
Davis stated that: “Protecting the integrity of our private health care insurance system is of paramount importance to the United States Attorney's Office.”
Ortiz-Button's next court date has not yet been scheduled.
