MEMPHIS – A Memphis doctor faces charges of TennCare fraud and theft of property following an investigation by special agents with the Medicaid Fraud Control Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

In February 2023, TBI’s MFCD special agents received a fraud referral from the TennCare Office of Program Integrity, alleging the unbundling of medical codes and excessive billing of certain procedures by Medical Doctor Rande Lazar. Unbundling occurs when a provider uses multiple procedural codes that should be covered by a single comprehensive code, with an intent to increase reimbursement. During the course of the investigation, agents developed information that from January 2018 through November 2022, Dr. Lazar (DOB: 02/27/1951) was responsible for claims billed to TennCare, which resulted in a loss of thousands of dollars to the State of Tennessee.

In March 2025, a Shelby County Grand Jury returned an indictment charging Rande Lazar with one count each of TennCare Fraud $10,000-$60,000 and Theft of Property $10,000-$60,000. Lazar was apprehended on March 13 and booked in the Shelby County Jail on a $35,000 bond.

The charges and allegations referenced in this release are merely accusations of criminal conduct and not evidence. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and convicted through due process of law.

NOTE: The TBI’s Medicaid Fraud Control Division receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $10,782,912 for federal Fiscal Year 2024-2025. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $3,594,302 for Fiscal Year 2024-2025, is funded by the State of Tennessee.