Deena Masciocchi, owner of a downtown Doylestown healthcare practice, faces 28 criminal charges tied to patient billing fraud and employee tax violations.
Masciocchi, 42, a nurse practitioner who runs Integrative Mental Wellness Collective at 10 N. Main St. in Doylestown, was arraigned Oct. 14 before Magisterial District Judge Mark D. Douple, according to court records. She was released on $50,000 unsecured bail.
Investigators allege she double-billed patients, charged monthly fees for ketamine therapy she never delivered and withheld federal payroll taxes from employees.
The felony charges include three counts of theft by deception and three counts of theft by failure to make required disposition of funds. She also faces 18 misdemeanor counts of furnishing false or fraudulent material information, one misdemeanor count of knowingly making false statements and three summary wage-payment violations.
The investigation began in March after a Crimewatch tip accused the practice of healthcare fraud, Central Bucks Now first reported. The tip alleged double billing and appointments listed as "no shows" even though patients said they were present for scheduled virtual visits, according to the police affidavit.
Patients also reported paying monthly fees for home ketamine therapy but never receiving the medication. Masciocchi was responsible for ordering the prescriptions from a compounding pharmacy but allegedly did not pay the pharmacy, so the ketamine was never shipped and patients were not refunded, the affidavit states.
Masciocchi was also accused of not paying several employees, improperly disposing of hazardous waste and not paying federal taxes withheld from employee pay.
The Bucks County District Attorney's Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry took over the investigation in May. Bucks County Detectives and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) executed a search warrant in July and obtained 44 electronic patient records. At least 18 of those patients did not have their prescriptions documented, according to the affidavit.
In an interview with investigators, Masciocchi allegedly admitted to not completing documentation for every patient visit. She also said she does not regularly check the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) to verify that a patient's medication does not conflict with what she is prescribing, the affidavit states.
No defense attorney is listed on the court docket as of Oct. 22. No response from Masciocchi or a representative appears in public records.
Masciocchi's preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2 at 1:30 p.m. before Judge Douple. All charges are allegations; Masciocchi is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Residents who believe they were affected can contact the Bucks County District Attorney's Office at 215-348-6344.
