Top Healthcare Scams in 2020
In 2020, the Department of Justice announced that it had charged over 300 people in healthcare scam, waste, and abuse schemes totaling more than 6 billion dollars in false and fraudulent statements, making it the largest healthcare scam enforcement action in the department’s history.
Many people were involved in the healthcare scam incidents, including more than 100 licensed medical practitioners and more than 20 healthcare executives. The cases included the usual suspects, such as healthcare scams involving products or services that were never delivered, as well as doctors who reportedly prescribed and paid for medically unnecessary treatments and drugs, including opioids.
Owners of A Telemedicine Company Charged With A $56 Million Healthcare Scam Conspiracy
The founders of two telemedicine firms were charged in February by the Justice Department, allegedly devising a national healthcare scam that resulted in $56 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. According to an unsealed indictment, husband and wife and owners of alleged telemedicine companies were charged with paying and accepting healthcare kickbacks and bribes in return for ordering orthotic braces for Medicare beneficiaries. The pair reportedly carried out the scheme by hiring healthcare providers to order the braces even if they were medically unnecessary, ineligible for Medicare reimbursement, or were not provided as represented.
In a $150M Healthcare Scam Scheme, Four Doctors Were Found Guilty
Four physicians were found guilty by a federal judge of engaging in a $150 million Medicare healthcare scam scheme. According to the February announcement, the doctors worked at one healthcare group, where they billed Medicare for medically unnecessary services, including facet joint injections, urine drug screens, and home healthcare. According to the Justice Department, the physicians will prescribe the back injections in return for prescriptions for over 6.6 million doses of medically unnecessary opioids. The law enforcement officials said, the group earned higher prices for facet joint injections than any other medical facility in the United States at the time, and the four physicians all ranked in the top 25 doctors for dollars charged by Medicare for the injections despite working just a few hours a week.
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