A local nurse practitioner is facing federal health care fraud charges, accused in a multi-million dollar insurance fraud scheme.
 
Daphne Patterson ran Healthier 4 U Wellness Center in Stone Mountain. The business advertises services like weight loss, hormone therapy and allergy testing.
 
According to a federal indictment, Patterson billed about $2.2 million dollars to health insurance companies for the various allergy tests and treatment that she never actually performed.
 
She is accused of fraudulently billing insurance companies including Aetna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield and United.
 
"The patient might not know the insurance company was being charged for this," former federal prosecutor Bob Brennan said.
 
Brennan said the alleged scheme could affect hundreds, if not thousands of people's personal information.
 
"Medical identity theft is (a) very fast-growing crime," Brennan said.
 
It is not clear in the indictment how Patterson obtained the patients' personal information.
 
So far, Channel 2 Action News has not been able to make contact with Patterson.