Lisa Fillhart was sentenced Monday, Oct. 19, to a year of community control for her role in a $1.6 million Medicaid fraud scheme involving Dr. Patrick Muffley, a Lewis Center resident who operated a Columbus clinic.
Fillhart, 61, of Lima, was sentenced to 12 months of community control, according to the Ohio Attorney General's office. She faces 18 months in prison if she violates the terms.
Fillhart served as office manager at Muffley's Columbus clinic, Embody Wellness Obstetrics and Gynecology, at 5957 Cleveland Ave. She pleaded guilty the same day to Medicaid fraud and unlicensed practice of nursing.
Investigators found Fillhart misrepresented herself as a nurse and provided medical advice without a license, the attorney general's office said.
Muffley, 56, pleaded guilty Monday, Oct. 19, to felony theft and Medicaid fraud. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 14, 2027. He has agreed to pay full restitution to the Ohio Department of Medicaid before that date and was given a $25,000 recognizance bond, according to NBC4.
The scheme ran five years.
The attorney general's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the pair after a referral from the Ohio Auditor of State's office. Investigators found Muffley and Fillhart submitted more than 27,000 fraudulent Medicaid claims for telehealth services that were never provided. Many claims were for services on dates when Muffley never logged into the telehealth portal, the attorney general's office said.
The fraudulent billing ran from January 2021 through March 2026 and cost Medicaid $1,645,052.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson said the defendants "schemed to steal Medicaid dollars intended to help Ohioans in need."
The Ohio Department of Medicaid suspended Muffley's provider agreement in September. A notice on the clinic's website said the practice would close, though the website has since been taken down, 614Now reported.
Attorneys with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are prosecuting the case in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
