Florida Criminal Attorney Blog
A physician and two nurses have been convicted of health care fraud in what authorities claim was a $12 million plus Medicare billing scam.
On Friday, a federal jury in Dallas convicted a 70-year-old doctor and a 47-year-old nurse of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Both were also convicted of three counts of health care fraud.
Another nurse, 42, was convicted of four counts of health care fraud.
Prosecutors believe the scheme ran from 2007 through 2015. The trio was convicted of defrauding Medicare through false claims through a home health agency and a physician house call company. Evidence showed medically unnecessary home health services were ordered and often not provided.
Sentencing is pending.
The government is aggressively cracking down on Medicare fraud throughout the country like never before. These cases usually mean the government has been investigating a clinic, doctor or facility for months, maybe even years. The government performs a hard investigation into patients’ procedures and billing to find any errors. At Whittel & Melton, our Medicare Fraud Defense Attorneys are here to protect you from the consequences of a conviction. We will help you fight Medicare fraud charges head on.
The most common types of Medicare fraud charges include:
- False invoicing
- Improper coding
- Billing for medical services not provided to the patient
- Charging for unbundled services
- Charging for medical devices not provided
- Billing for patients that do not exist
- Multiple billings of the same procedure
When it comes to Medicare fraud, it is not just doctors who are are at risk of prosecution. Anyone in the chain of treatment that knowingly violates the law is vulnerable to legal liability for the alleged fraud.This includes all of the support and administrative staff of the hospital or clinic. If you think you may be charged with Medicare fraud, or already have been charged, do not wait to contact us for a free consultation. Call us today at 727-823-0000.