In an ongoing search for fraud, Medicare’s Office of Inspector General is looking at improper billings for durable medical equipment – a $7 billion annual expense in traditional Medicare alone.
Earlier this year, Scam Watch reported that the government was investigating $2 billion in fraudulent Medicare claims for catheters. Catheters are just one example of durable medical equipment, a vast industry that also includes wheel chairs, surgical items, prosthetics, tubes, splints, braces, crutches, blood testing strips and other supplies that patients use repeatedly over time.
These scams can take various forms, harming patients and taxpayers. Criminals may bill the government under a patient’s name for a service never received. Such fraud can endanger people’s health by leading to wrongful treatment and errors in their medical records.
“Although no precise measure of health care fraud exists, those who exploit federal health care programs can cost taxpayers billions of dollars while putting beneficiaries’ health and welfare at risk,” Medicare has reported. “The impact of these losses and risks magnifies as Medicare continues to serve a growing number of beneficiaries.”
In a March email, Medicare urged beneficiaries to protect themselves from health care fraud. Among the steps:
- Keep your Medicare number confidential, only sharing it with doctors and others you trust.
- Make sure to read the financial summaries you get from Medicare. If an expense looks inappropriate, make sure it’s legitimate.
- Protect your Medicare card, because it includes details that scammers may use for identity theft.