Ex-York Pain Management Owner Sentenced for Multi-Million Dollar Medicare Fraud
Rodney L. Yentzer, former owner of York Pain Management in Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison after pleading guilty to healthcare fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and theft of public funds. Between 2016 and 2022, Yentzer fraudulently billed Medicare and Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program by submitting unnecessary urine drug tests for chronic opioid patients through clinics under his control, including Pain Medicine of York. The fraudulent billing involved approximately $10 million in urine drug tests, resulting in $4 million paid by Medicare, with additional claims made to Medicaid.
Yentzer collaborated with others, notably John H. Johnson, who advised the unlawful ordering of multiple urine tests per patient visit. Johnson was previously convicted for related healthcare fraud activities and had been sentenced to 84 months in prison before being resentenced in 2024 to 97 months for continued involvement. The fraud scheme included the use of an in-house lab at PMY, which funneled test proceeds back to the clinics.
The misappropriated funds were used by Yentzer and associates to acquire luxury goods and properties, leading to subsequent asset sales to satisfy restitution obligations exceeding $3.8 million. Law enforcement shut down PMY in 2019 following a raid, and Yentzer also inappropriately obtained over $191,000 in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds intended for healthcare providers.
Other individuals implicated include Florentina Mayko, former CEO of PMY, who received a 30-month prison sentence, and Paula Johnson, sentenced to probation with home detention for participation in payroll fraud. This case highlights ongoing regulatory and compliance challenges in controlling healthcare provider fraud, especially in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement related to diagnostic testing.
The prosecutions reinforce the need for vigilant oversight on billing practices, particularly involving ancillary services and laboratory testing, to protect public funds and ensure program integrity within the U.S. healthcare insurance framework.