Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock)
Copyright 2006 Little Rock Newspapers, Inc.

The operators of a Rogers ambulance company have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges involving Medicare fraud.

Debra J. Drummond, president of Arkansas Patient Transfer Inc., and Michael Noblin, the company's office manager, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.

Drummond and Noblin committed fraud by billing Medicare and Tricare for services that weren't medically necessary between August 2001 and December 2002, court documents state.

Tricare is the health-care program for the U.S. military.

Arkansas Patient Transfer is a private company that handles nonemergency ambulance transfers.

Drummond and Noblin are each free on $1,500 bond. A sentencing date hasn't been set.