Medicare fraud was hit hard Friday by the Justice Department. The feds planned out raids which were to show no-nonsense health care reform to all nurses, doctors, medical billers, and health care business owners in five different states involved. Authorities announced charges against 94 individuals in what is being called the largest coordinated series of federal health care fraud cases in U.S. history. The defendants of the fraud case were accused of stealing $ 251 million from the Medicare system.
Medicare fraud sting snares full spectrum of crooks
In Miami, Baton Rouge, LA, Brooklyn, NY, Detroit, and Houston, there were arrests made for this Medicare fraud. ABC News reports that nurses, doctors, and even health care professionals accepted additional money from medical service providers for things that were never even done. Although none of these happened, Medicare was charged for all of them, including physical and occupational therapy, HIV infusions, and home health care.
Medicare fraud crackdown key to health care reform
In 2009, the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team was began as part of the health care reform agenda. Illicit billing, which is the primary way fraud happens, is found by the team using electronic claims data. Health care fraud prevention had the first “summit” in Miami with Eric H Holder Jr., Attorney General, and Kathleen Sebelius, Human Services Secretary. As part of the health care reform agenda, this Medicare fraud raid was essential to let companies know the Obama administration means it.
Medicare fraud practiced in plain sight
There were numerous Medicare fraud operations that weren’t even hard to see. In Brooklyn, NY, $ 70 million was stolen in an operation with a “kickback room” that gave 1,000 kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries according to the Washington Post. An undercover investigation showed that Medicare beneficiaries lined up to receive illegal payments near a sign showing a woman with her finger to her lips warning in Russian, “Don’t gossip.”.
Miami is the perfect place for Medicare Fraud
The Medicare fraud arrests were made by more than 350 agents for the Health and Human Services’ inspector general’s office and the FBI. It was the biggest takedown of Medicare fraud offenders since the federal program was began in 1965. Many of the individuals were arrested in Miami on the exact same day as the fraud summit. 25 suspects were charged just from the Miami-Dade county for stealing $ 103 million, according to federal indictments.
Citations
ABC News
abcnews.go.com/WN/government-agents-uncover-medicare-fraud-operations-cities/story?id=11180320&page=2
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/16/AR2010071603876.html?hpid=topnews
Miami Herald
miamiherald.com/2010/07/16/1733354/crackdown-nets-about-100-medicare.html
