Prevent Medicare Fraud Accusations

Prevent Medicare Fraud: For owners of medical clinics, it’s important to be able to convey to your patients that you comply with all the standard Medicare laws. In order to prevent suspicions of Medicare fraud and put your clients at ease, make sure to follow recommended guidelines, as outlined by Medicare.gov.

1. Never ask your patient for his Medicare number in exchange for complimentary services or for “maintaining records.” Remember that a patient’s Medicare number is similar to a credit card or social security account number. 2. Don’t offer “free” offers targeted exclusively for Medicare patients. Any mention of complimentary gifts, such as discounts or bonus services is a red flag for Medicare fraud. 3. Make it clear to your patients that you are not an official “Medicare representative.” 4. Abstain from using “door-to-door” sales tactics, and never call patients at their home for matters unrelated to specific medical services. 5. When ordering expensive diagnostics testing, such as MRI, make certain that your patients understand the necessity for such medical services, and invite any questions they may have. Any medical exams or medical imaging tests deemed excessive may be questioned later as suspect of Medicare fraud. 6. Keep concise, clear, up-to-date records of all services billed to Medicare. 7. Refrain from offering “Medicare” approved services that extend beyond the realm of medical care. 8. Be careful when billing for Medicare “home health services,” and maintain that the client is indeed confined to his home. 9. Check your patient’s Medicare qualifications before billing for a motorized wheelchair. 10. As a healthcare provider, you may not have the right to bill Medicare for hospital inpatient admissions within a certain time frame. Your turn! Do you have any questions or suggestions? Please leave your comments below. Share with your friends! If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, Facebook, or Google+. Sources: Medicare.gov Stop Medicare Fraud Image(s) courtesy of Photostock/FreeDigitalPhotos.net