February 11, 2021
Carson
City, NV – Today, Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced
that Stefan Ryan Flowers, 34, of Las Vegas, and Go With the Flow Behavioral
Health, LLC (Go With the Flow), were sentenced in a Medicaid fraud case
involving billing for services that were not provided to Medicaid recipients.
Eighth Judicial District Court Judge Eric
Johnson sentenced both Stefan Ryan Flowers and Go With the Flow for a category “D”
felony offense of Submitting False Claims, Medicaid Fraud. Judge Johnson
sentenced Flowers to 12 to 48 months incarceration, suspended, and placed him
on probation for two years. As part of the sentence, Flowers and Go With the
Flow were also ordered to pay $257,954.00 in restitution and Flowers was
ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. The fraud occurred between
November 2017 and June 2018.
“My office will continue to ensure
healthcare providers abide by their obligation to accurately present claims to
Nevada’s Medicaid program,” said AG Ford. “Healthcare businesses and
their owners must honestly fulfill their obligation to only bill Nevada
Medicaid for services that are actually provided by their healthcare
professionals.”
The investigation of this case began
after the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) received information that Go With
the Flow and its owner Stefan Ryan Flowers may have billed Nevada Medicaid for
Rehabilitative Mental Health (RMH) services that were not clinically or
medically necessary. The investigation revealed that Go With the Flow, through
Flowers as its owner and service provider, submitted claims to Nevada Medicaid
purporting to have provided RMH services, when in fact the healthcare
professionals had never provided such services.
The MFCU investigates and prosecutes
financial fraud by those providing healthcare services or goods to Medicaid
patients. The MFCU also investigates and prosecutes instances of elder abuse or
neglect. The Nevada MFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award. The remaining 25
percent is funded by the State of Nevada, MFCU. Persons convicted of Medicaid
fraud may also be administratively excluded from future Medicaid and Medicare
participation. Anyone wishing to report suspicions regarding any of these
concerns may contact the MFCU at 702-486-3420 or 775-684-1100.
This case was investigated by the
Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and was prosecuted by Senior
Deputy Attorney General Steve Sidhu.
The criminal information against Flowers
and Go With the Flow are linked. To file a complaint with the Office of the
Nevada Attorney General, click here.
FLOWERS, STEPHAN RYAN
(Photograph courtesy of the Las Vegas
Metropolitan Police Department)
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