Cracking Down on Medicare Fraud

Many people are in need of medical care. Insurance rates can be unaffordable, leaving many citizens uncovered when medical emergencies strike. Some people find ways to cheat the system and get the care they need. Medicare fraud involves the use of improper information to gain acceptance to the Medicare program. Anyone who knows about this dishonest activity is encouraged to report it so that coverage is reserved for those that are honest about their circumstances. Medical professionals or those working in doctor’s offices may also commit fraud, but people often do not report their suspicions.

Signs from Patients

When a person is committing fraud of any sort, they often give themselves away. The signs are often subtle, but consistent. An individual that is misusing the system may have improper identification. Be sure to check picture ID’s thoroughly. People that are aging may look very different from their last photo. Addresses and phone numbers may not match up. A person trying to avoid getting caught may have different information on file in different places. This makes it a little harder to track them down. The most common fraud is probably lying about income, however. This may be noticed by the agent working on a renewal or application.

Signs from Doctors

When you go to the doctor for services, they get paid from the insurance company. It is important that you pay attention to what types of tests the doctor has ordered for you. They may put items on your bill that you did not receive. This is an attempt to collect money for these services and keep it. Doctors may add a few small things to the bills of several patients, instead of a large item to one patient, so as not to be noticed. Lawsuit Legal explains how to take action when these professionals are discovered.

Reporting

When a patient notices something on the bill, they often feel the need to report the issue to the hospital first. When there may be fraud it needs to go straight to the Medicare office. Since your name is no the bills. An anonymous report can be difficult to maintain due to the nature of Medicare billing. Medicare fraud can easily be reported by making a phone call to someone in the fraud department of the Medicare program. Another group of people that may come across the knowledge of fraud are people in the accounting department. The patients may go a long time without noticing mistakes on their receipts, as many Medicare patients are elderly. It may not be until a caretaker looks over the forms, that fraud is detected.

Fraudulent activity is a part of many types of businesses. People that commit Medicare fraud are abusing the system and putting elderly people’s funding for care at risk. When a patient is committing fraud, they are putting everyone at risk, as this makes governments consider more difficult application procedures. Reporting the fraud can be frightening, but it is the best way to get back on track with your insurance coverage. Once attention has been brought to the problem, it is easy to place fault on a specific perpetrator.