Hire an Experienced Medicare Fraud Attorney to Avoid the Harsh Penalties of Conviction

Getting convicted of Medicare fraud can have serious repercussions for your career and life. Here’s a list of possible Medicare fraud conviction consequences and an explanation of how an experienced Medicare fraud attorney can help you in your case.

Potential Consequences of Conviction for Medicare Fraud

Medicare care fraud can be of different types such as submitting false claims for payment, submitting false claims for patient with whom the provider has no professional relationship, billing for services not provided, upcoding, performing unnecessary clinical tests or treatments, providing false or misleading information relating to a patient’s discharge and much more. Here are some of the penalties you could end up facing if you get convicted of Medicare fraud:

• Civil monetary penalties of up to $250,000.
• Jail time of up to 20 years
• Loss of licensure
• Loss of DEA registration
• Prohibition from Medicare and Medicaid
• Non-payment of outstanding dues
• Losing of staff privileges
• Losing employment opportunities

Experienced Attorneys Have Access to Right Resources

An experienced Medicare fraud attorney can help you navigate highly specific and complex healthcare fraud charges. Experienced attorneys have access to niche resources such as forensic accountants, investigators and medical experts and investigators to review the government’s allegations and put up a strong challenge.

Experienced Attorneys Use Defense Strategies

In Medicare fraud cases, an experienced attorney will try various strategies to obtain best outcome for clients. One strategy may be to use effective pre-trial motions to bury or narrow the government’s case before trial. Another strategy may be to make the accused provider a valuable witness rather than a defendant to shift the focus of a criminal investigation. Another strategy may be to assert that the provider did not have the intent to commit fraud – in many Medicare fraud cases, the prosecution has to prove that the defendant intentionally submitted a false claim. 

If you or someone you know is facing a charge of Medicare fraud, feel free to avail a no-obligation consultation with an experienced Medicare fraud defense attorney to discuss the case in complete confidence.

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4 Things You Might Not Be Aware of a Health Care Lawyer

Over the past few years, fraudulent issues in the healthcare industry have become a growing issue of concern. False allegations, medical disputes, abuse, healthcare fraud, etc., lead to a potential penalty. Any false claim in relation to a Medicaid can irreparably change the life of a professional, especially one who is dependent on a license to practice. With an increase in the potential cases of healthcare crime, healthcare lawyers understand the potential penalty and come with a conviction.

Healthcare lawyers possess acute knowledge. They are equipped to counsel clientele regarding any types of administrative and regulatory disputes involving, malpractice allegation, violation of anti-trust, charges of negligence, pharmaceutical product liability lawsuits, etc. The healthcare attorneys are experienced in handling day to day issues and assist clients in complex matters.

If you are charged with healthcare fraud, then you must know 4 points, which includes:

• Payment suspension: Under Affordable Care Act, if a health care provider is found guilty, he/she will be deemed to suspend. This is done through the recommendations made by the department of Health and Human service to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”).CMS halts all payment of the physician. In such a situation, one can hire a lawyer for doctor, who strategically plans to protect the interest of the company and its staff. Experienced lawyers can cut down criminal charges.
• Grand Jury Subpoenas Issued to Suspect’s Banks: the goal of the government is to recoup money from healthcare firms who illegally obtained money through fraudulent business operations. While doing so, the government will issue federal Grand Jury subpoenas to banks and financial institutions. The healthcare lawyers help healthcare institutions but it is extremely rare that bank shares illegal information with customers.
• Medical malpractice: Medical malpractice claims are quite challenging. A medical mistake is devastating and negligence is the root cause of the mistake. By hiring medicare fraud lawyer, you can sense the validity of your claim and punish the guilty.
• Insurance claim: If you met with an accident and you have medical insurance, you can file and insurance claim with insurance service provider. An insurance claim will give you compensation for any sort of medical expenses and if you are not satisfied with the insurance claim process, you can seek the help of legal attorneys, who would appeal to the insurance company for a claim.

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How to Choose the Right Attorney for Medicare Fraud Defense

In the present day America, billions of dollars of taxpayer’s money is engulfed by the health care frauds.This significant loss has stimulated government to discover and eradicate the health care frauds; hundreds of millions of dollars is devoted to this purpose. However, there is a downside, too, since there are many innocent healthcare professionals who are subjected to enquiry repeatedly. At this time, Medicare fraud defense attorney comes to the rescue, who is trained to defend them optimally.

However, to hire an expert Medicare fraud attorney is not task, as the attorney will have to negotiate with the government’s representative, who will be aggressive in their approach. If you want to hire a lawyer, make sure you go the following steps, which will help you to understand what you need to look for in an attorney.

(1) A comprehensive knowledge of Medicare law

Every attorney has a set of skill. However, a lawyer with generic skill set and limited knowledge of healthcare law does not fit the bill for being an effective health care lawyer.Many healthcare fraud cases results from the honest mistakes, which leads to criminal liability. There is a fine line between those, and it is the decisive factor. It is important to learn about the past negotiating experience with FBI and other government’s prosecutors.

(2) Enough experience with government related investigations

There is a small pool of legal professionals, either governments or otherwise, who operate within in this specialization, repeatedly. Therefore, attorneys from this field keep on running into the same team, and this experience is crucial for a Medicare fraud attorney. The experience helps to anticipate the next step, which may result into better strategy, understanding the moves of the government officials.

(3) Track record

It is the common element that you have to inquire about, irrespective of the type of case. However, you have to focus on the experience on the niche, since even an impeccable track record in other types of cases, will not proved to be a great determinant of attorney’s ability.

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Hire a Lawyer to Save Your Medical & Healthcare Career

Oftentimes, doctors and healthcare professionals face false accusations for having a role in some fraudulent or criminal offence. If the charges are proved to be true, their practice license can be snatched away from them, and because of which they might not be able to work as a medical practitioner throughout the country.

If you are being questioned because of false allegations made by some of your seniors, colleagues, patients, or an individual, under the Whistleblower Act, you MUST step forward and speak to a medicare fraud defense lawyer. This attorney, having a shipshape knowledge of the law, will help you skip out the charges and save your practice.

Types and severity of charges

Misbehaving with patients and following unethical means in your practice are two of the most frequent blames that you - as a healthcare professional, doctor, dentist, physician and hospital staff - are most likely to face. Some of the other charges that may be held responsible for are: involvement in corruption; providing wrong/unnecessary treatment to your patients; billing the items or charging for the services or treatments that were actually not given to the patients; etc.

These and other serious offenses, which, if proved, can create a sea-like hindrance in your medical profession. Your service license will be taken back and your reputation and earnings will be adversely affected. You will not be allowed to serve or work as a healthcare and medical professional anywhere in the United States. Additionally, you may even be slapped with hefty fines as a penalty for defrauding the government and its interests.

Lawyers of Doctors

Healthcare fraud defense lawyers are the best lawyers for doctors, who, using their exceptional knowledge and experience in the law professional, aid doctors to save their practice as well as their reputation and way of living.

For safe practices, you should always keep medical transcriptions of your patients. It helps you respond resolutely to the charges put in opposition to you. Further, before answering the investigators, it is recommendable to speak to your lawyers. It will save from making wrong statements, which can be used against you by the cops and investigators.

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Some of the very commonly seen instances of medicare fraud

The instances of healthcare fraud cause a massive financial loss to the federal government. At an estimate, calculated by a economics survey organization, the medicare scams slapped a hammering of around $272 billion in the financial year 2011-2012. The practitioners, the patients, the institutions – everyone has been involved in harming the interests and gains of the government.

Shared here are some of the most commonly seen cases of healthcare and medicare fraud. You need to act attentively on such activities, and be ready to bring these into the view of the authorities and the government –

Patients make healthcare claims, which they do not really deserve. It is the most common activity in which patients are involved, and the officials of insurance companies, and sometimes, physicians help them in this.

Medicaid Supplier charge for the pieces of equipment that they didn’t actually supply to a government hospital or healthcare facility. Another instance of embezzlement prevalent in the healthcare and medicare sector! The equipment suppliers deliver products, like wheelchairs, needles, syringes, surgical gloves, etc., which they never supplied to anyone anywhere. They produce false bills, and obtain money from the government and state medical board.

Physicians prescribe counterfeited drugs to their patients. A study, in which patients were key respondents, says, in the year 2013, doctors in the U.S. prescribed more than 5 million painkillers to their patients.

By reporting the fraudulent activities in the healthcare sector, taking help from a whistleblower compliance attorney, you can help the government in combating the corruption. The whistleblower act enables the common man to sue the fraudsters on behalf of the government. If some funds are recovered, you may receive a certain (percentage of recovered money as) reward for this noble deed.

However, if you are doctor, physician, chemist, or any other healthcare professional, and are being wrongly accused for having some connection in a healthcare fraud case, you can consider taking consultation from a healthcare fraud defense lawyer.  They will give you the right set of advices, and help you sail through the charges made against you. Though, ensuring the credibility and reputation of the attorney would be a shrewd step, before going for a meeting with them.

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Roles of a Medicare Fraud Defense Attorney

Medicare attorney is a specialist lawyer, who delves into the lawsuits related to the healthcare sector. Estimates assert that it is the healthcare sector that registers a great loss every year because of the prevalent fraudulent activities. Investigation teams are appointed by the government to spot the activities being performed by the healthcare professionals, and to verify the accusations of plaintiffs under the False Claims Act of the U.S. Government.

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Why Would a Healthcare Practitioner Need a Medicare Fraud Defense Lawyer ?

Medical and Healthcare or Medicare professionals or practitioners do a really wonderful job curing their patients and keeping them healthy. They make every effort to cure their patients. However, just like the two sides of a coin, sometimes things may go wrong. There exist cases where in spite of the best intentions of the Medicare or medical practitioners things can go wrong and these are seen every day in the newspapers and on the news channels. Sometimes, doctors, even after their best efforts are unable to cure the disease and every attempted treatment of their patient fails. This practice failure can bring serious consequences in patient’s ward as well as in the practitioner or physician’s professional career. Medical malpractice attorneys are needed to defend the physician or practitioner when the matter is based upon negligence or unintentional wrongdoing.

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