The federal Medicare and Medicaid programs provide health insurance for millions of Americans. Medical providers who accept Medicare and/or Medicaid patients must bill the government for their services. However, any mistake in the billing could trigger an investigation and civil or criminal penalties.

If you are being investigated for Medicare and/or Medicaid fraud, you need an experienced West Palm Beach Medicare & Medicaid fraud attorney in your corner. At the Skier Law Firm, we represent doctors and other medical providers in federal lawsuits. Contact us today to begin building your defense.

Examples of Errors that Trigger Investigations

Government investigators will closely scrutinize billing records to find mistakes, such as:

• Billing for the same procedure several times
• Billing too much
• Billing for phantom patients
• Billing for procedures or services never performed
• Billing for procedures or services that are not medically necessary

Some of these mistakes might be innocent, the result of inexperienced staff or software errors. However, the government is very aggressive in these cases and can open a criminal or civil prosecution for suspected fraud. Medical professionals who value their reputations should immediately contact an experienced criminal defense attorney to plan how they intend to respond to these charges.

Heavy Surveillance

Because of the number of retirees in Florida, the federal government aggressively monitors the state. In particular, the Medicare Fraud Task Force currently monitors nine cities, two of which are in Florida: Miami and Tampa.

Each Strike Force team combines the efforts of multiple federal agencies, including the FBI, with the goal of analyzing data and rooting out fraudulent schemes. To date, the Strike Force Teams have arrested over a thousand suspected fraudsters and recovered millions of dollars.

If you provide medical services in the state of Florida, you are at heightened risk of being surveilled for suspected fraudulent activity. As a result, you should always consult with an attorney whenever you suspect you have made a mistake with your billing.