Many criminals are targeting the health care system when attempting to defraud the U.S. government. These criminals are billing Medicare for treatments that have never been provided and for medically unnecessary treatments, as well as upcoding and overbilling for medical equipment. The majority of people committing this fraud are imbedded within the medical community. They have access to important information such as patient records and social security numbers, and employ fraudulent practices such as paying kickbacks to doctors for privileged information. According to CNNMoney.com, Medicare information is a “goldmine” for fraudsters because of the “pay and chase” system which requires Medicare to send out payments in a short period of time. The areas with an increase in health care fraud include states in which there is a high population of elderly and areas that are receiving a large amount of government aid. Fraudulent healthcare schemes are robbing the government and U.S. citizens of approximately $100 billion a year.

To report Health Care Fraud, contact Frohsin & Barger.