Florida Healthcare Fraud Attorney

Advocating for the Rights of Healthcare Consumers

United States spends more than $3 trillion on healthcare every year, but the U.S. Department of Justice reports that tens of billions of these dollars are lost to healthcare fraud every year. To combat this growing and alarming problem, the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have joined together to lead a coordinated effort to combat healthcare fraud across the nation.  According to the HHS and DOJ Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2017, these efforts resulted in $2.6 billion being returned to the federal government or paid back to private persons in the 2017 fiscal year.

If you or someone you care about has become a victim of healthcare fraud, it is crucial that you protect your rights and learn what legal recourse could be available in your situation. As individuals grow older, this can become more and more of a problem.  At The Florida Law Group, we are committed to protecting consumers who have been harmed by healthcare fraud.  These cases tend to involve complicated legal issues that are best handled by a skilled Florida healthcare fraud attorney.  

Types of Fraud in the Healthcare Industry

Healthcare fraud can take many different forms, from prescribing unnecessary treatments to billing for the same service or billing more than necessary for services.  At The Florida Law Group, our attorneys handle all types of healthcare fraud claims, including cases involving:

  • Billing Fraud.  While most doctors and medical facilities are honest in their billing practices, some providers engage in healthcare fraud schemes designed to collect more than they are owed and increase their profits.
  • Medical Qui Tam.  Consumers and private citizens who have evidence of healthcare fraud can file a qui tam whistleblower lawsuit against the wrongdoers on behalf of the government.
  • Medicare and Medicaid Fraud.  Overbilling, upcoding, kickbacks and other financial schemes involving Medicare and Medicaid programs are among the most common types of fraud perpetrated against the government.
  • Pharmaceutical Fraud.  Overcharging, billing for non-existent prescriptions and billing for a brand name drug when dispensing a generic drug are just a few of the common types of fraud schemes in the pharmaceutical industry.  
  • Anti-Kickback Statute & Stark Statute.  The federal Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law are aimed at protecting government-funded healthcare programs from illegal kickbacks and physician self-referrals.   
  • Home Healthcare Fraud.  While home healthcare fraud can involve a wide range of fraud schemes, some of the most common schemes involving paying a physician a kickback to certify a patient as “homebound,” forging a physician’s signature, and billing for services not provided.
  • Ambulance Fraud.  Billing for unnecessary ambulance transportation, upcoding the severity of medical necessity from “non-emergency” to “higher emergency” and participating in illegal kickback agreements or scams are just a few examples of ambulance fraud.
  • Durable Medical Equipment Fraud.  There are many different types of healthcare fraud associated with hospital beds, walkers, wheelchairs, prosthetics and other types of durable medical equipment (DME), including filling for duplicate orders, charging for equipment never requested or received and billing for individuals who have passed away.

Have You Been Victimized by the Healthcare Industry? A Florida Healthcare Fraud Attorney Is Here for You

There are many fraud schemes that can jeopardize a person’s benefits and ability to see their physician when they really need to. In the end, everyone is affected by these unlawful activities, which makes it even more important to seek justice when these crimes occur. The best way to protect your rights and learn what legal options you have for recourse is to discuss your situation with a Florida health care fraud attorney at our firm.  Our lawyers can provide you with the answers you need, offer sound legal advice and ensure aggressive representation in your legal matter.