Medicare fraud has become a serious issue. According to Heartland Connection, $6.8 million is lost every hour to Medicare fraud. Seniors can be vulnerable to Medicare scams, and the Senior Medicare Patrol of Kansas City is working to educate seniors about the risk. The organization recently held a Medicare Summary Notice Workshop that taught seniors to interpret their Medicare Summary Notices and to spot red flags that could signal Medicare fraud or abuse.
One big sign that Medicare fraud has already occurred is receiving a bill for a procedure or service that you did not have done. Senior Medicare Patrol recommends working closely with your doctor to be sure you know the medical care you need. Receiving a call that claims to be from Medicare and asks for personal information is another sign that something is not right.
Victims of Medicare Fraud Can Be Helped by Whistleblowers
Seniors may not be prepared to handle Medicare fraud schemes. Trainings can help, but the help of whistleblowers can also be extremely valuable in determining when fraud is taking place. The law recognizes the value of whistleblowers, so much so that the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act provide for individual whistleblowers to file a lawsuit on behalf of the government and to receive a portion of any money recovered in the lawsuit.
An attorney can help a whistleblower by explaining his or her rights under the False Claims Act. The skilled and experienced attorneys at Waters & Kraus have worked with whistleblowers for decades. Contact us or call our whistleblower attorneys at 800.226.9880 to learn more about our practice and how we can assist.
