The Office of Inspector General has announced the arrest of Christine Burnett, 67, of Woodbury. Burnett is charged with three counts of fraudulently obtaining controlled substances by "doctor shopping." He's accused of receiving prescriptions from doctors for strong prescription pain medication and failing to disclose to her doctors she had seen other physicians within a 30-day period and received similar prescriptions for the drug, which was Hydrocodone. All three physician office visits were paid for by TennCare.

"Our message is a simple one - if you lie or somehow cheat to get TennCare benefits, you risk going to jail or prison," Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. "People who commit TennCare fraud are taking something they're not entitled to."

District Attorney William Whitesell, Jr. will be handling Christine Burnett's case.

The OIG, a law enforcement agency separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has worked cases leading to the arrest of 800 individuals for TennCare fraud, with nearly $1 million paid in restitution to TennCare, and total estimated cost avoidance in TennCare of over $122 million, according to latest figures.

The arrest along with others this week charged with TennCare fraud bring to 800 the number of people arrested for TennCare fraud since the Office of Inspector General (OIG) began investigating and pursuing this criminal activity.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. "Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tncarefraud.tennessee.gov and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."