Medicare Fraud
The AARP estimates that Medicare loses approximately $60 billion every year to fraud. Whistleblowers are one of the best sources of tips to alert law enforcement of scams and to supply vital information for reaching a conviction and for recovering money. For this reason, the law protects whistleblowers from retaliation and, under certain circumstances, allows the whistleblower to claim a portion of the money recovered by the government.
Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP is a national civil trial law firm that was founded in 1993. Our attorneys guide whistleblowers through the process of reporting Medicare fraud and protect their rights during the investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of the fraud. If appropriate, we bring a qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act. If the employer has retaliated against our client, we demand damages, reinstatement of the job and other remedies under the whistleblower statutes.
What is Medicare Fraud?
Medicare fraud occurs when a patient or doctor extracts money from the Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) office through a scheme. The means of committing fraud include:
- Upcoding, which involves charging for a higher priced service or product than the one provided to the patient
- Billing for unnecessary items, which may involve ordering unnecessary tests or performing unnecessary procedures
- Billing for services patients did not receive, such as a medical procedure that the doctor did not perform on the patient
- Billing for products patients did not receive, such as a medical device that the patient was not given
- Unbundling a group of services generally included in a package, such as diagnostic tests conducted on one blood sample
- Patient identity theft to charge for services and products under fake patient names
Rights of a Whistleblower
A whistleblower who reports fraud is protected under Medicare laws. Our attorneys take steps to prevent retaliatory action on the part of the employer and to recover damages if the employer does make an adverse employment decision in retribution against the whistleblower. In addition, we work with the government to bring the fraudster to justice and help our clients recover a portion of the judgment to which they are entitled. We appear in administrative agencies and courts in jurisdictions throughout the country on whistleblower and qui tam claims.
Learn More About Medicare Fraud Whistleblower Recovery
Consult with experienced attorneys about protecting whistleblower rights and recovering damages for retaliation and under the Fraudulent Claims Act. Schneider Wallace has litigation law offices in California, Texas and Puerto Rico and appears in jurisdictions throughout the country in state and federal administrative agencies and courts.