Watonga psychiatrist to pay more than $170,000 for False Claims Act allegations

OKLAHOMA CITY (Aug. 12, 2025) – Watonga psychiatrist Dr. Richard Zielinski has agreed to pay $173,143 to the State of Oklahoma to settle a lawsuit alleging he knowingly submitted false claims to the Oklahoma Medicaid program, SoonerCare.

As operator of Richard Zielinski MD, PLLC, Zielinski allegedly upcoded claims for evaluating and managing patients and submitted them to SoonerCare for payment between Jan. 1, 2019, and June 30, 2021.

The settlement also resolves allegations that Zielinski caused his agents and employees to fabricate records supporting the false claims after the Oklahoma Health Care Authority notified him they intended to audit his patient records. The authority referred the matter to Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for investigation.

“I appreciate the thorough investigation completed by my team to recover funds that were wrongly taken from the State and, as a result, the taxpayers of Oklahoma,” Drummond said. “I take very seriously all allegations of false claims and will always work to hold fraudsters accountable to the law.”

Assistant Attorney General Jamie Bloyd, Agent Rachel Hayward and Nurse Analyst Laurie Hudson handled the investigation and resolution. The claims resolved by settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

About the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit: The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $4,527,129.64 for federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,509,367.95 for FY 2025, is funded by the State of Oklahoma. The federal fiscal year 2025 is defined as October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.