$260M in False Claims Result in 90 Arrests in Medicare Fraud Sweep

Law enforcement have made 90 arrests concerning more than $260 million in false claims to the government in a nationwide Medicare fraud sweep, according to the Department of Justice.

In the fraud sweep, 27 health professionals were arrested, including 16 physicians. The arrests took place in Brooklyn, N.Y., Tampa, Fla., Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and Miami, according to the report.

The arrested healthcare professionals were charged with a variety of fraud offenses. For example, in Houston, five physicians were charged with accepting $1.4 million in kickbacks for providing referrals to a home health clinic for medically unnecessary treatment. In Los Angeles, a physician was charged with submitting over $23 million in false claims to the Medicare program, according to the report. 

Law enforcement was able to pinpoint some of the Medicare fraud schemes that led to arrests using information obtained from Medicare beneficiaries. The beneficiaries had come forward with information after discovering Medicare was being fraudulently billed using their member identification numbers, according to the report.

The government will continue its aggressive takedown of healthcare fraud across the U.S., said David O'Neil, chief of the U.S. Justice Department's criminal division, in the report. "We are investigating and prosecuting all levels of these schemes — from the recruiters to the medical professionals to the owners of these clinics. We will bring to justice those who steal from Medicare." 

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