South Florida Authorities Arrest More Than 30 Suspects For Medicare Fraud

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

By Dr. Thu Pham, O.D., Law Clerk

On October 4, 2012, federal authorities arrested 33 suspects in South Florida for allegedly filing fraudulent Medicare claims totaling $205 million. Payment of bribes and kickbacks, as well as payments to patient recruiters were an issue in this investigation.

To read the entire article from the Miami Herald, click here.

Arrests Part of a Nationwide Initiative.

These arrests are part of a nationwide initiative to crack down on theft committed by individuals against Medicare.  Peter Budetti, the Medicare anti-fraud czar states that the goal is to catch the fraud before the fraudsters "can successfully bill Medicare."  Previously, fraud was caught only after the funds were disbursed and spent.

The Miami area is among the nation's highest when it comes to the commission of Medicare fraud, particularly involving the areas of mental health, physical health, nursing homes, home health care, and durable medical equipment suppliers.

How Was the Fraud Committed?

In an attempt to effectuate the fraud scheme, some of the defendants allegedly conspired to pay thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks to both recruiters and patients.  The defendants allegedly billed Medicare for services that were not medically necessary.

The Potential Penalty.

If convicted, these defendants will not only be required to pay fines and penalties, but will also face prison time.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced in Handling Medicare Audits.
 
Medicare fraud is a serious crime and is vigorously investigated by the state MFCU, the Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA), the Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPICs), the FBI, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Often other state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), and other law enforcement agencies participate. Don't wait until it's too late. If you are concerned of any possible violations and would like a confidential consultation, contact a qualified health attorney familiar with medical billing and audits today.  Often Medicare fraud criminal charges arise out of routine Medicare audits, probe audits, or patient complaints.
 
The Health Law Firm’s attorneys routinely represent physicians, medical groups, clinics, pharmacies, home health care agencies, nursing homes, group homes and other healthcare providers in Medicaid and Medicare investigations, audits and recovery actions.
 
To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.


Comments?

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Sources:

Miami Herald. "Medicare fraud crackdown nets 33 arrests in South Florida."  Miami Herald
(October 4, 2012).  From:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/10/04/v-fullstory/3034167/feds-charge-more-than-30-suspects.html.

Local10.  "33 arrested in Miami for Medicare fraud."  Local 10 (October 4, 2012).  From http://www.local10.com/news/33-arrested-in-Miami-for-Medicare-fraud/-/1717324/16853802/-/q7addoz/-/index.html.

About the Author: Dr. Thu Pham, OD, is a law clerk with The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area.  www.TheHealthLawFirm.com  The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

Tag Words: Medicare fraud, Medicare, defense attorney, defense lawyer, audits, durable mental health, physical therapy, kickbacks, bribes, fraudulent billing, Medicare fraud defense, Medicare overbilling, fraud prevention, home health care, nursing homes, durable medical equipment

 
"The Health Law Firm" is a registered fictitious business name of George F. Indest III, P.A. - The Health Law Firm, a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 1996-2012 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.
10/23/2012

Comments:

Response to: South Florida Authorities Arrest More Than 30 Suspects For Medicare Fraud
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Uril Greene says:

What is the statute of limitations on physician PEER REVIEW miss use. I was wrongly accused of over use of TPA in a stroke patient in 2005 by a neurologist that covered himself when he did not respond in a timely manner to a stroke alert in a fairly young, 40 year old, patient. The newly assigned regional physician, who wanted to move up the corporate ladder by removing all the individual ER directors in the three hospital group that had contract with the large national ER group, used the incident and complaint by the neurologist to initiate a PEER REVIEW meeting in which he the only physician to speak on the incident and bullied the only other physician at the meeting to silence and wrote the entire meeting up himself. Two later I was called and told I was taken of the schedule with no notice. I had to scrabble to find work to support my family and middle school age children. At the time I had no medical evidence to prove that I had actually done the correct course of action, bu

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