CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- A Charleston woman has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges for her role in an alleged healthcare fraud scheme in September 2017.

Deeana Burr, 54, is accused of participating in a scheme to defraud Medicare and TRICARE by submitting claims for “medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME) and certain procedure codes”, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.

Investigators said that Burr, a licensed nurse practitioner, was a 15-percent co-owner of Atlantic Coast Integrated Medicine (ACIM) at the time.

According to prosecutors, evidence presented in court showed that ACIM had a standardized treatment plan for all patients that lasted 12 weeks, with the expectation that the patient be treated three times a week.

The patient would receive an initial evaluation consisting of a full-body musculoskeletal exam and multiple x-rays before a treatment plan — including the issuing of multiple DME — was authorized by an ACIM clinician, prosecutors said.

“Much of the DME issued, and subsequently billed to Medicare and/or TRICARE, was determined to be medically unnecessary throughout the investigation,” a news release stated.

Burr faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, fines up to $250,000, restitution, and three years of supervision upon release.

The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services- Office of the Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.