NATCHEZ — A Natchez resident was ordered to repay $1.6 million in restitution to the federal government and never to practice medicine again after she pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Jo A. Francis, 61, entered the plea in front of U.S. District Judge James J. Brady, who in addition to requiring Francis pay restitution sentenced her to two years probation.

Francis had agreed to give up her medical license in a plea agreement she signed in November.

The plea agreement states that the company Healthcare I, LLC., would seek to sell durable medical equipment — for example, power wheelchairs — to Medicare beneficiaries through their primary care physicians. The company, owned by Henry L. Jones and Chikenna Jones in the Baton Rouge area, would have recruiters contact Medicare beneficiaries and attempt to get a prescription for the beneficiary to buy medical equipment. Once a recruiter was able to obtain a prescription for the equipment, the patient name, billing information and prescriptions were sold to Healthcare 1.

The plea agreement states that if the Medicare beneficiaries’ primary care physicians were unwilling to provide a prescription for the desired durable medical equipment, the recruiters the Joneses hired would seek out unrelated physicians, Francis, who wrote the requested prescriptions based upon a cursory examination — or no examination — of the beneficiary, regardless of whether the durable medical equipment was medically necessary.

The agreement states Francis was also involved with a similar conspiracy involving the Mississippi-based McKenzie Healthcare Solutions, which had an office in Woodvile, where Francis served as a “medical director” and wrote prescriptions for medical equipment, receiving kickbacks from the company for the prescriptions. The Joneses and another person, Shedrick O. McKenzie, operated the business.

“In multiple instances, the recruiters would obtain Francis’ signatures on stacks of prescriptions at a time, without Francis examining, or even seeing those patients,” the plea agreement said.

In a sentencing memorandum to the court, Francis’ attorneys stated that, “Dr. Francis acknowledges and accepts that what she did was wrong. Her actions have brought embarrassment to her and her family, and her community. She is truly remorseful for her actions and has accepted responsibility.”

Healthcare 1 submitted claims for approximately $1.8 million in prescriptions written by Francis. McKenzie filed fraudulent claims of $1.56 million based on prescriptions with Francis’ signature.

While the sentence for the fraud could have between 70 and 87 months, the government recommended probation because of Francis’ willingness to participate.

The filing also states that Francis has suffered three strokes, including one in May 2011, and that she suffers from diabetes, chronic renal failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and depression.

Francis is under the daily care of a home health care professional, the memo said.

Her attorneys also argued that Francis was only involved in the conspiracy for three years maximum, never received more than $1,000 a month in kickbacks and was never aware of the scope of the crimes in question.

The memo states that Francis withdrew from employment with McKenzie before the conspiracy ended.