CT psychologist who submitted false Medicaid bills totaling over $148K gets prison [Hartford Courant]

Hartford Courant (CT)

A Colebrook psychologist was sentenced to nine months in prison after pleading guilty to submitting false Medicaid bills following an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, authorities said.

Jennifer Lefebre-McGevna, 46, received a prison sentence of five years, suspended after nine months served, followed by five years of probation. She pleaded guilty in Hartford Superior Court on Jan. 10 to one count of first-degree larceny by defrauding a public community and one count of health insurance fraud.

Lefebre-McGevna was enrolled as a provider in the Connecticut Medicaid program. She was also the owner of Healing the Child from Within, LLC and enrolled in the Connecticut Medicaid Assistance Program as a private practice that performed psychotherapy services, according to state authorities.

From April 2017 through December 2020, Lefebre-McGevna reportedly submitted Medicaid claims for counseling services when no services were rendered, according to court records. There were over 1,000 claims submitted for unperformed services totaling $118,028.96. She utilized unlicensed people to perform services and submitted billings as if she performed them for bills totaling $24,961.66, court records said, and also submitted billings for canceled and missed appointments, totaling $5,112.19. The overall amount of fraudulent bills totaled $148,102.80, according to court records.

After paying $30,000 upon sentencing, she was ordered to pay the remaining restitution during her probationary period. She was also ordered to not act as a provider in the Medicaid program, according to state officials.

Anyone with knowledge of suspected fraud or abuse in the public health care system is asked to contact the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the Chief State’s Attorney’s Office at 860-258-5986.