What This Story Is About

• A Brentwood optometric physician was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison for submitting millions of dollars in false claims to Medicare, TennCare and another government health program.

Why It Matters

• Helen Boerman admitted she submitted about $11 million in false claims and received about $6.9 million through her Brentwood Eye Care practice.

What Happens Next

• Helen Boerman must serve 42 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and pay nearly $7 million in restitution.

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Brentwood optometric physician was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for a health care fraud scheme that defrauded government programs of nearly $7 million.

Helen Boerman, 48, was sentenced September 10 in federal court. She was also ordered to pay $6.97 million in restitution and will serve one year of supervised release after prison.

Federal prosecutors said Boerman used her practice, Brentwood Eye Care, to submit false claims to Medicare for services patients did not receive and for wound care products she did not purchase or use.

According to court documents, Boerman directed staff to create false records to support some of the fraudulent claims.

Boerman also submitted false claims to TennCare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program between March 2020 and October 2024, prosecutors said.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General,...

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