BY: CINDY GONZALEZ
Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN — A Nebraska nurse has had her licenses revoked for at least two years by the state’s chief medical officer for alleged fraud related to her business, which advertises weight-loss medications on social media, according to the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office.
Andrea Meisinger of Weeping Water, an advanced practice registered nurse and registered nurse, has been running a business called AR Virtual Health, which markets medications such as Tirzepatide and Semaglutide for weight loss on its website, the Attorney General’s Office said in a news release issued Friday.
In a settlement agreement filed with the State Department of Health and Human Services, Meisinger said she neither admits nor denies allegations by the Attorney General’s Office. But she consented to the order from Dr. Timothy Tesmer, Nebraska’s chief medical officer, that finds the allegations to be true and that grounds exist to revoke her licenses.
Meisinger, who was not immediately available for comment Friday, agreed to pay a civil penalty of $16,000. She allegedly prescribed to patients while her Nebraska licenses were suspended and authorized prescriptions to patients in states where she does not hold the required licensure.
She acknowledged that the revocation of her nursing licenses is for a minimum of two years and reinstatement is at the discretion of the Department of Health and Human Services and upon approval by the respective state nursing board.
The order signed by Tesmer was in response to a Nov. 5 petition filed by the Attorney General’s Office to seek disciplinary action, to revoke probation and to temporarily suspend Meisinger’s licenses.
The petition alleged that Meisinger was practicing a profession fraudulently, beyond authorized scope or with incompetence or negligence, including obtaining a fee for professional services by fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.
Previously, the Attorney General’s Office filed a petition May 16 alleging that Meisinger was trying to sell Tirzepatide without establishing any patient/provider relationship.
As a result of that lawsuit, Tesmer had ordered Meisinger to pay a $3,000 civil penalty and placed her on probation for a year. Her licenses were to be suspended and she was not to engage in activity that constitutes the practice of APRN or nursing.
According to Tesmer, Meisinger:
- Provided prescriptions to a Georgia patient, although she held no licensure in Georgia.
- Provided care to a patient in Illinois, where she holds no licensure.
- Held virtual appointments with a Nebraska patient while her license was suspended.
- Prescribed medications in numerous states with no licensure.
- Shipped patient medications to her own address or to a coworker/friend.
- Authorized dozens of prescriptions to Nebraska patients while her license was suspended.