Why Should You Seek The Services Of An Experienced Medicare Fraud Defense Lawyer?

Are you a healthcare worker or provider who has been accused of Medicare fraud? Acting swiftly by consulting an experienced Medicare fraud defense attorney is critical to preventing enormous monetary liabilities and protecting your livelihood. 

What Constitutes Medicare Fraud?

Medicare fraud refers to the deceitful submission of false or fictitious healthcare reimbursement claims to Medicare, a federal health insurance program. A healthcare professional or entity can be charged with Medicare fraud in many instances, including

Ø Billing for services or medical supplies not provided by the accused

Ø Billing for medical equipment that has been provided or medically no necessary

Ø Billing for medically unnecessary or unreasonable services

Ø Billing for services not performed by licensed individuals

Punishment for Medicare Fraud

Medicare fraud is a serious federal felony charge. If found guilty, an individual or entity may be exposed to a wide variety of penalties including heavy civil/criminal fines, recoupment requests, non-payment of future Medicare claims, attorney fees, and treble damages among others. The consequences can be as severe as exclusion from federal healthcare programs, criminal indictment, and imprisonment. What’s even worse is that to hold an individual or healthcare entity accountable, under certain crimes the government does not need to prove specific intent to violate the law, especially for an administrative charge of violation of the false claims act. Under the administrative false claims act, you are still subject to triple damages like the criminal cases.

Need to Build Strong Defense

No matter how organized your healthcare practice is mistakes in billing or coding can come up that expose you to a fraud investigation and the above-mentioned penalties. Time is of the essence when you are involved in a Medicare fraud case and the best strategy is to build a strong defense. The complexity around Medicare rules and regulations means that there is no substitute for having a Medicare fraud defense attorney who understands the intricacies of healthcare law and has convincing negotiating skills to handle healthcare fraud allegations. 

Attorneys Have Thorough Knowledge

A healthcare fraud attorney knows the nuances of the healthcare industry and the rules/regulations pertaining to the industry. When it comes to Medicare fraud cases, healthcare fraud lawyers have comprehensive knowledge of various statutes such as False Claims Act, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, Civil Monetary Penalties Law and Criminal Fraud Statute that form the basis of Medicare fraud investigations. They can use their extensive knowledge to get your case dismissed. For example, if you are accused of Stark Law violations, the Medicare fraud defense lawyer may leverage safe harbor exceptions to protect you from liability. 

Experienced Attorneys Have Legal Skills

An experienced Medicare fraud lawyer will pay close attention to the nuances of the investigation to obtain favorable outcomes. Very often, there is a fine line between liability and human error. By combing through the finer details of a case, an experienced healthcare fraud lawyer may be able to persuade government authorities that errors were not done intentionally, but by accident or due to human error. This in turn can impact the direction of the government’s investigation - whether to drop an investigation, pursue the civil investigation, or seek a criminal indictment. 

If you’re facing Medicare fraud allegations, arrange for a no-obligation initial consultation with an experienced healthcare fraud attorney at the earliest! To explore services offered by a lawyer for doctors, set up a no-obligation consultation with an experienced practitioner! Call the Law Office of Kenneth Joel Haber, PC, and ask for a no-obligation consultation. Kenneth Haber is a former Assistant US Attorney and a former Senior Attorney Office of Inspector General HHS. Call 301-670-0016.

Summary: Medicare fraud is a serious allegation that can negatively impact your finances, livelihood, and freedom. If you are accused of Medicare fraud, it’s wise to hire an experienced healthcare fraud attorney having extensive legal knowledge and skills.