Medicare Fraud

If senior citizens and others are ever going to clean-up the billions of medicare and health-care providers fraud WE WILL need to become AWARE of the culprits and EXPOSE them -- THEN we can treat them as REAL Criminals!!! Here we offer individuals the opportunity to post their views on Medicare Fraud. Let us give names of the the ones who perpetrated the fraud and the names of law enforcement officials and judges that condone this fraud or fail to provide adequate sentencing for same.

Uncle Sam is Sick -- by Jack Drain
Medicare wheelchair Fraud? -- randal06@sprynet.com wrote: Dear Sir, I believe I have been a victim of Medicare fraud and a scam scheme by a medical supply company. In Nov 96, I contacted a supplier of wheelchair equipment (Secure Rider, 1-800-767-4375) and requested a free demonstration of a Pride Jazzy power chair per their advertisement. I was subsequently contacted by a company representative, Danielle Day. On 22 Nov, the chair was brought over to my house. At that time, I was informed the chair "mine to keep" because my physician had verified my eligibility for the purchase of the chair and Medicare had already paid for it.
After evaluating the chair for a couple days, I sent a FAX to Secure Rider stating that I did not want the chair and to please pick it up ASAP. I also requested that Secure Rider discontinue the VA Medicare and contract paperwork. Numerous phone calls have failed in getting them to pickup the chair or returning the paperwork. On 18 Dec, I received a letter (dated 13 Dec 96) from Valley Medical Supply Inc (1-702-253-9455) demanding $779 before the chair could be picked up.
The above mentioned companies have failed to honor their free demonstration as advertised. There has been false advertising and fraudulent billing practices by the billing supplier against Medicare. I currently have a power chair that I do not want. Valley Medical Supply has manipulated the system and charged Medicare.
As a concerned citizen, something needs to be done to prevent a reoccurrence of this scam. By the way, now Valley Medical Supply Inc. is threatening to sue me for false accusations they believe to be false in a complaint I sent to the Better Business Bureau in Las Vegas. Your prompt attention in this matter is gratefully appreciated. Sincerely, Randall T. Britton; 3405 Ojibwa Street; Sierra Vista, AZ 85635; SAN: 260-72-5915; phone (520) 378-3240; E-mail: INTERNET:73503.746@compuserve.com
PS: Has anyone else had a problem with SECURE RIDER or VALLEY MEDICAL SUPPLY? Do to the high number of senior citizens in the Las Vegas area, I suspect my case is just the tip-of-the-iceberg. Please write.
Initial patient consultation scam -- Our family Dr. ran out of flu shot medicine a few years ago. We found another local Dr's office who offered the flu shots to all including non-patients. We went in and found the Dr. in the front office waiting room visiting with a friend. The lady (nurse?) ushered us into the lab and proceeded to prepare the flu shots. While doing so she asked many questions regarding what medications we were on and what medical procedures we had had etc. We assumed she was just being friendly and involved with the medical care of patients. She gave us the flu shots and we left without ever seeing the Dr. who was still in the waiting room talking to a friend.
When we received our Medicare EOB we were shocked to notice that in addition to the charge for the flu shots we were billed for and "Initial patient consultation" at the cost of $75 each. The EOB indicated that Medicare paid 80% of these fake charges. Perhaps we should have advised Medicare of this "rip-off" but we didn't. Now I wish we had.
If this sort of thing ever should happen again you can be assured we WILL report it to Medicare although I'm not sure anything would be done about it since it was relatively small $'s amounts and perhaps not worth the cost to follow through. And I' sure the Dr. knew this and that is exactly why he set up this rip-off system.
Multiply this by the total # of Dr.'s and one can see why Medicare is in trouble. It was a relatively small thing, but when multiplied by the millions of senior citizens this sort of rip off could amount to sizable dollars. Don & Audrey Doyle dadoyle@sierra.net
Dr Missban Uddin Ahemd M.D.S.C. (815) 935-2525; 4475 W Merchant St., Kankakee IL 60901 has been defrauding Medicare for ten years that I know plus making WRONG diagnosis like telling me I had leukemia. I did not or I never had leukemia. Then Dr. Ahemd told my wife and I had Kaposi's Sarcoma that was related to HIV AIDS for sure I never had that. Then Dr. Ahemd wilfully CONSPIRED with Dr Aquino to FALSIFY a pathology report saying I did have Kaposi's Sarcoma. That is one good DOCTOR RIGHT? Also Dr. Ahemd is FLEECING OF AMERICA listed as one of Illinios HIGHEST payed Medicare providers in Illinios. I do have documents and copy's of old Medicare bills and other proof. NOBODY seens to be able to investigate WHY? It is just not right for a doctor to get by with this kind of practice and keep medical license. E-mail LeRoy Hamilton - hardhead@cu-online.com
I took my freind to his doctor, who is treating him under Medicare. We finally got to the examining room where we waited some more. The nurse left his files on the counter. I picked them up and read them myself. My friend was supposed to come in for treatment once a month, but his file stated he was coming in 3 times a week. When I asked the doctor about it, he got angry with me and said if I didn't like the way he was treating my freind, to find another doctor! He had been going to him for 2 years. I wonder how many paitients he has been doing like that? -- thanks to Warren Gill harly@cris.com
Medicare Fraud and Abuse -- As a Registered Nurse who has worked in Home Health, I have witnessed fraud on more than one occassion. I was sent to the home of a Home Health Agency's client to apply a "sterile" dressing to a wound. When I arrived at the client's home I located the client's chart which had an order written by the agency's supervisor instructing each nurse to apply a "bandaid" to the site. (A very small scratch on the client's neck.)
I reported to another client's home to find him preparing to go bowling. The client told me he didn't have time for my visit because of the bowling appointment. I thoroughly documented this in my nursing notes and turned the notes in to my supervisor. The next morning I was approached by the same supervisor who stated that I would have to write a new nursing note reflecting that I spent at least 30 - 40 minutes with the client in order for Medicare to pay the agency for my visit!
I was appalled to think that this agency would expect it's nurses to engage in lying just to receive a Medicare payment. Needless to say, I no longer work for that agency, nor will I ever refer a person for it's so-called services.
I am sickened by the waste, fraud, and abuse of Medicare and also private insurance payments by the current healthcare system. When I graduated from a university nursing program over 26 years ago I witnessed compassion in healthcare providers, but today, the "bottom line" is the almighty dollar and large profits at the expense of the person in need. -- thanks to Jeanine Heard - jheard@innet.com
Medicare fraud runs rampant in Houston, Tx. And the Reasons:
1. mostly lawyers
2. the courts
3. lower income citizens trying to get a free dollar thru lawsuits.
4. Private medical corporations pushing their methods of fraud to the edge.
5. low income citizens, non contributors of tax dollars, think that they are getting something free for their rest of their lazy lifes.
6. No guts democratic party with too much government! another big waste. Sorry we couldn't get Mr. C.C. out of the white house! -- author not to b disclosed
03 06 1996 18-month Sentence for Fraud -- from the Sacramento Bee -- Former Auburn psychiatrist Thomas L. Sargeant, who stole from Medicare to feed his illicit drug habit was sentenced to 18 months in federal prision. He admitted receiving more than $100,000 from the government as reinbursements for services he never provided. He had contracts to porvide treatment to residents of several convalescent homes. THINK ABOUT THIS -- He effectively made $5,555 per month on this deal if we equate serving 18 months for his rip-off of $100,000 -- who says crime doesn't pay. We are also paying $40,000 per year for his confignment. This is another example of how our justice system is not dealing with the rip-off of medicare. The judge was U. S., Magistrate Gregory G Hollows and allowed Sargeant to live at The Effort, a Sacramento drug rehab center. In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Lawrence K Karlton recommended that the U.S. Bureau of Prisons assign Sargent to a camp near Spokane. The added benefit would place him near the Canadian residence of his wife and three children. Not bad treatment?
$6 billion Medicare Fraud per Year -- Health Care Experts estimate $6 billion is due to waste, fraud, and abuse. Your GAO (Government Accounting Office) reported on August 11, 1995 that health care experts estimate as much as 10 percent of national heath care spending is due to waste, fraud, and abuse.

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