In-home doctor visits are beneficial for housebound Medicare recipients. (House calls also are an easy way for unscrupulous doctors to illegally bill for services that were not performed or medically necessary.) An article published by The Detroit News states that a Michigan doctor used his medical practice to fraudulently bill Medicare for in-home physician services worth more than $11 million.
The story states that the doctor’s house call services were not actually performed by licensed physicians. (Now there’s a scary thought.) The practice owner actually hired unlicensed individuals to provide medical services and complete medical documentation that stated the services had been provided by licensed doctors.
Over a four-year period, the practice billed Medicare over $11.5 million for in-home services. The practice received approximately $4.2 million for the fraudulent claims.
The 47-year-old physician pleaded guilty to health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced.
Home health care is meant to enable a patient to heal, help them regain their independence and become as self-sufficient as possible. It was not intended to provide a way for greedy physicians to make money off of those who qualify for and deserve the government health care benefit.
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