Everyone’s personal information is an easy target for personal injury, medical billing loss, and identity theft. Contract a lawyer to defend your rights, or report the bill fraud to the insurance company if you have health insurance.
Begin with the Legal Definition of Medical Billing Fraud
Medical billing fraud is a crime that can ruin your health insurance, cause you to pay too much for medical services, and even cost you your life.
Medical billing fraud can take many different forms, but the general idea is that someone is trying to make money by pretending to be a doctor or medical professional when they are not.
There are several things you can do to protect yourself from medical billing fraud:
- Always check the credentials of the person you are talking to about your healthcare bill. Make sure they have a legitimate medical degree or certification.
- Check the legitimacy of any medical claims presented on your bill. Make sure the procedures, treatments, or medications listed on your bill were actually performed on you and are listed in your records as necessary.
- Communicate with your healthcare provider and ask questions about any charges you don’t understand or believe are appropriate. Don’t be afraid to speak up if you feel like something on your bill is wrong.
- Keep copies of all of your medical records and paperwork related to your healthcare transactions. This will help verify the information on your bills if something goes wrong and will put you in a better bargaining position.
When to Call a Lawyer or Expert Attorney for Help
When you receive a bill from a medical office for services that you never received, it’s important to know how to protect yourself. You can call a lawyer or an expert attorney to help you determine if the bill is legitimate and, if so, what steps you should take to dispute it. If the bill is fraudulent, you may be able to get your money back or stop the bill from being sent to your credit report.
If you think that you’ve been the victim of medical billing fraud, it’s important to take action as soon as possible. Therefore, you should hire a medical billing fraud lawyer who can protect you from potential financial harm and possible credit reporting issues.
Types of Medical Billing Fraud
Medical billing fraud is an increasing problem, and it’s not just people who are unable to afford their health care that are at risk. Anyone can be a victim, including those who staff medical offices and billing departments and those who submit claims for reimbursement from insurance companies or government programs. Here are some of the most common types of medical billing fraud:
- Falsifying medical records or charging for services that were not actually provided.
- Misusing Medicare or Medicaid funds by billing for services that were not medically necessary or not providing the required level of service.
- Obtaining payment from insurance companies in advance of submitting an accurate claim, then refusing to pay when the claim is accurate.
- Filing duplicate claims with different insurance companies in order to get multiple awards for the same expense.
- Collecting money before the insurance company pays out on a claim, often using fraudulent invoices or fake checks.
Overview of Protecting Yourself from Medical Billing Fraud
Medical billing fraud is a widespread problem in the healthcare industry. According to the FTC, medical billing fraud costs consumers and hospitals billions of dollars each year. In order to protect yourself from medical billing fraud, you need to be aware of the types of scams that are out there and how to avoid them. Here are some tips:
Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mails or phone calls from medical professionals requesting personal information or payments.
Never agree to do any kind of unverified diagnostic testing or treatment without seeing a doctor first.
Always ask for copies of your health records before participating in any treatments or surgeries.
If you suspect that you have been the victim of medical billing fraud, report it to your insurance company and the FTC.
Conclusion
Many people are unaware that medical billing fraud is a widespread problem. It can happen to anyone, regardless of their insurance status or medical knowledge. The following tips will help you protect yourself from this type of fraud, and hopefully save you some valuable money in the process.
