How to Stop Medicare Fraud

Medicare fraud is a serious problem. Perpetrators milk the system for millions of dollars annually by cashing in on false claims. Many schemes to defraud Medicare involve doctors and other health practitioners and fake medical supply companies that overcharge or send in false invoices to Medicare for services and medical products never provided to the patient. To help put a stop to these deceptive practices, the public must be vigilant and report suspicious behavior.

Instructions

• 1

  Be aware of suspicious activity. Medicare states that there are several things that many fraudsters will do to attract Medicare patients so they can get their Medicare number and send claims to collect revenue on behalf of supposed services offered to the patient. Medicare clients should not have to pay co-pays for laboratory tests or preventative care such as pap smears and flu shots. Providers should not insist that Medicare wants a client to have a certain service. Fraudsters will tell patients that they know how to get Medicare to pay for certain services that may not normally be approved, offer free consultations to patients with Medicare, claim that they are endorsed by Medicare, offer free testing in exchange for a patient's Medicare number and offer patients gifts and free services to come to a particular clinic or order medical products from a certain medical supply company.

• 2

  Gather information about the suspicious activity or charge. Medicare recipients may become suspicious after seeing false charges on their Medicare statements or when encountering a suspicious provider. Statements may show Medicare paying for medical supplies or services that a client has never received. Keep track of the name of the company or provider, any suspicious services offered by the provider, the service or product that was approved, the date that the service or product was supposedly received, the date of the Medicare statement notice and the name and medicare number of the Medicare client.

• 3

  Contact Medicare to report the fraud. You can speak with a Medicare fraud unit representative, send an email, fax a letter explaining the alleged fraudulent activity or send a letter by mail.

  Phone: [phone]

  Fax: [phone] (Faxes should be limited to no more than 10 pages.)

  Email: [email protected]

  Mail:

  Office of the Inspector General

  HHS TIPS Hotline

  P.O. Box 23489

  Washington, DC 20026

• 4

  Exercise caution when giving out your Medicare patient information. Medicare patients should only give their Medicare number and information to a physician or provider, be leery of services advertised as free for Medicare patients and should never ask a provider for services or products they don't need.