DOJ & HHS charge 91 people with $430 million in Medicare fraud

Making good on warnings issued last week, the Department of Health & Human Services and the U.S. Attorney General’s office announced Thursday that 91 providers have been charged with a total of $430 million in Medicare fraud.

More than half of the indictments involved home healthcare fraud. Another $149 million in charges stemmed from fraudulent claims involving either behavioral health services or emergency transport.

The announcement also includes charges of illegal billing practices for occupational and physical therapy, psychotherapy and the use of durable medical equipment.

“Today’s enforcement actions reveal an alarming and unacceptable trend of individuals attempting to exploit federal health care programs to steal billions in taxpayer dollars for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in a press statement.  “Such activities not only siphon precious taxpayer resources, drive up healthcare costs, and jeopardize the strength of the Medicare program – they also disproportionately victimize the most vulnerable members of society, including elderly, disabled and impoverished Americans.”

Pamela Tabar

Pamela Tabar was editor-in-chief of I Advance Senior Care from 2013-2018. She has worked as a writer and editor for healthcare business media since 1998, including as News Editor of Healthcare Informatics. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Kent State University and a master’s degree in English from the University of York, England.