Medicare Fraud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Medicare Fraud - Essay ExampleAs part of what federal officials are calling the largest national Medicare humbug takedown in history, they announced the apprehension of 16 Metro Detroit health care officials allegedly involved in fraud and kickback schemes totaling over $122 million.The arrests were part of a nationwide sweep that resulted in charges against 243 individuals, including 46 doctors, nurses and other license medical professionals, accused of bilking the government with $712 million in false billings. According to officials, the schemes involved medical services that were unnecessary or never rendered, including hospice and home health care plus the billing, but not dispersal, of drugs.Authorities said the owners of home health care and hospice companies in Metro Detroit, two of whom are physical therapists, allegedly paid kickbacks to doctors and recruiters for referring patients to them, then billed Medicare for unnecessary services.Federal officials said two physician s Dr. Waseem Alam, 59, of Troy and Dr. Hatem Ataya, 47, of Flushing solicited kickbacks and submitted false claims to Medicare through their company, Woodward urgent Care, in Bloomfield Hills.The physicians who allegedly solicited and received kickback also submitted claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary physician services through their companies, identified as A Plus Hospice and Palliative Care, At Home Hospice and At Home Network, Inc., all of which are located in Livonia.