When I saw an article about personal care assistants fraud put out by the Healthcare Fraud Shield organization, I immediately thought of PCA’s stealing from the elderly and infirm. While that is a huge problem nationwide, apparently there is a cottage industry of personal care providers that overbill Medicaid, charge for services not performed or use unqualified workers.
Think about it. As baby boomers are now reaching retirement, more and more elderly people are receiving at home care services. It wasn’t log before some unscrupulous providers figured out a way to get something for nothing.
Earlier this year the Missouri Attorney General prosecuted a woman and several of her employees for billing for thousands of dollars of services not provided. Because few people direct pay for PCA services, the patients are often not even aware of the fraud. Typically, healthcare providers bill Medicaid directly for their services.
According to a press release from the Missouri AG’s Office, the fraud took place from 2009 through 2011. Like so many other cases, the fraud was stopped after several attendants reported their suspicions to local law enforcement and the state senior services department. I was shocked to find dozens of similar stories published in the Medicaid Fraud Report.
Concerned employees – whistleblowers – are critical in the fight against fraud. In the case of fraud against state or federal governments, whistleblowers are entitled to up to 30% of what the government recovers.
Personal care attendants provide a variety of in home services depending on the state. Typical duties include bathing, dressing, feeding and taking the patient to medical appointments.
About our firm. MahanyLaw is a full service boutique law firm that concentrates in whistleblower fraud cases – healthcare, mortgage fraud, Ponzi schemes, phony welfare benefit plans and investment frauds – we help victims get back their hard earned money and whistleblowers receive proper compensation for coming forward. Presently we are prosecuting the largest false claims case against a mortgage lender in the U.S. – HUD’s $2.4 billion claim against Allied Home Mortgage. For more information, contact attorney Brian Mahany at (414) 704-6731 (direct) or by email at . All inquiries are kept in strict confidence.
We also have constantly updated information on our home healthcare whistleblower page.
MahanyLaw – America’s Fraud Lawyers. Offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan, Portland, Maine & Minneapolis, Minnesota. Services available in most jurisdictions.