If you want to look for fraud, remember the adage, “follow the money.” If you follow the money in the United States and Mississippi, it will lead you to the health care industry. Federal programs like Medicare fund much of our current health care system, so any fraud occurring within that industry is a fraud against the federal government. The False Claims Act, signed into law by Abraham Lincoln to prevent fraud against the Union during the Civil War, is a federal law that allows those who report fraud against the federal government to become a “whistleblower” and collect 15% to 30% of whatever funds the government recovers as a result of the resulting prosecution.
If you are aware of fraud relating to the health field or Medicare specifically, you will need the help of an experienced whistleblower attorney to help you draft your complaint and file it with the U.S. Department of Justice. They only prosecute the strongest whistleblower cases under the False Claims Act and other federal whistleblower laws. In this blog post, I will cover common aspects of False Claims Act Medicare cases.
Are you considering becoming a whistleblower? You will need the help of an experienced whistleblower attorney to help you answer questions about taping as well as many others. Contact Barrett Law now at (800) 707-9577 to attain the advice you need.
Common Types of Medicare Fraud
Medicare fraud has exploded in frequency over the past decades. The most common types of fraud fall into the following categories:
False Billing—in this scam, the medical provider bills Medicare for services that were not provided. This can be difficult to detect as if the patient is not paying for the service, he or she is unlikely to notice or raise the alarm about one more charge on their bill. These phantom charges add up when the practice is repeated over thousands of patients, costing the federal government millions of dollars each year.
Providing Unnecessary Services—in this scam, the medical provider does provide treatment to the patient, but the procedure is not necessary. Here, the patient believes that the additional test or treatment is required for their condition, and Medicare pays the bill thinking that the treatment was a bona fide necessity.
Upcoding—in this scam, the medical provider provides a necessary service but charges Medicare for a more expensive version of the treatment than is required by the patient’s needs.
Unnecessary Prescriptions—in this scam, the medical provider prescribes unneeded medications to the patient. While the medications may not have an adverse effect, the medical provider is reimbursed for them.
You may be aware of this conduct as a medical provider, an employee of a medical provider, or patient. Regardless of your relationship to this conduct, you can become a whistleblower and receive a reward for notifying the federal government of the fraud.
What Should You Do if You are Considering Making a Whistleblower Claim?
Are you aware of the sort of fraudulent conduct described above? Are you considering filing a Medicare-related whistleblower case? The reward for submitting a successful claim can be significant, here half a million dollars, but you will only receive this sort of award with the help of an experienced whistleblower attorney. The U.S. Department of Justice gets thousands of potential whistleblower claims each year, and only those that meet their requirements and are reported in a way that triggers their interest are acted upon. Careful pleading and an organized approach to gathering evidence are critical to this process and will require the help of an experienced whistleblower counsel. Contact Barrett Law now at (800) 707-9577.
Experienced whistleblower lawyer Barrett can provide you with the advice you will need to file a successful whistleblower case. Having expert legal advice by your side can mean the difference between receiving your share of a whistleblower reward and losing your career and livelihood. Call our Mississippi Whistleblower Lawyer now!
