Who didn’t see this coming?
Carey
Description
Collection
Title:
Who didn’t see this coming?
Creator:
Carey
Date:
4/9/2019
Text:
Feds, US Attorney uncovers nearly $1 billion Medicare fraud scheme dubbed ‘Operation Brace Yourself’
Feds, US Attorney uncovers nearly $1 billion Medicare fraud scheme dubbed ?Operation Brace Yourself?
By WIS News 10 Staff | April 9, 2019 at 9:51 AM CDT - Updated April 9 at 5:18 PM
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The largest Medicare fraud scheme in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation originated in South Carolina and involves telemarkerers peddling medical braces, international call centers, and kickbacks for those who participated in the United States to the tune of nearly $1 billion, U.S. Attorney in South Carolina Sherri Lydon said.
The scheme, entitled “Operation Brace Yourself, has more than 80 search warrants in 17 federal districts and originated in Charleston.
“The same spoon who feeds the drug defendants, the felons in possession of firearms, and corrupt officials will also serve those companies and individuals who dare to commit Medicare fraud,” Lydon said. “Medicare fraud is not a victimless crime. Ultimately, it is the taxpayer who will be left with paying higher healthcare premiums and out-of-pocket cost that will result because of fraud in the Medicare system.”
The uncovered scheme went as follows: Medicare customers would be targeted in ads for Medicare premiums. The customer would call a call center in the Phillippines and the victim would be up-sold “free to low-cost durable medical braces” for ailments in knees, necks, and other joints. The call centers paid illegal medical kickbacks and bribes to managers and operators of tele-medical companies and others who participated in exchange for “DME (durable medical equipment) orders for those Medicare beneficaries.”
The tele-medical companies, in turn, would then allegedly pay physicians to write prescriptions for Medicare patients for these items, Lydon said. The tele-medical companies and the doctors had not previously done physical examinations on patients who had Medicare benefits.
The victims targeted in this scheme were “seniors.”
Those participating would get financial kickbacks, and those accused in the scheme spent the money - nearly $1 billion - on luxury items such as real estate, cars, and yachts.
Lydon said it’s the largest Medicare bust the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the IRS had ever seen, calling it a “nationwide fraudulent scheme.”
You can watch the full press conference by clicking here.
Copyright 2019 WIS. All rights reserved.
Carey Jinright, LO, MSM
WDJD
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Feds, US Attorney uncovers nearly $1 billion Medicare fraud scheme dubbed ?Operation Brace Yourself?
By WIS News 10 Staff | April 9, 2019 at 9:51 AM CDT - Updated April 9 at 5:18 PM
COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The largest Medicare fraud scheme in the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation originated in South Carolina and involves telemarkerers peddling medical braces, international call centers, and kickbacks for those who participated in the United States to the tune of nearly $1 billion, U.S. Attorney in South Carolina Sherri Lydon said.
The scheme, entitled “Operation Brace Yourself, has more than 80 search warrants in 17 federal districts and originated in Charleston.
“The same spoon who feeds the drug defendants, the felons in possession of firearms, and corrupt officials will also serve those companies and individuals who dare to commit Medicare fraud,” Lydon said. “Medicare fraud is not a victimless crime. Ultimately, it is the taxpayer who will be left with paying higher healthcare premiums and out-of-pocket cost that will result because of fraud in the Medicare system.”
The uncovered scheme went as follows: Medicare customers would be targeted in ads for Medicare premiums. The customer would call a call center in the Phillippines and the victim would be up-sold “free to low-cost durable medical braces” for ailments in knees, necks, and other joints. The call centers paid illegal medical kickbacks and bribes to managers and operators of tele-medical companies and others who participated in exchange for “DME (durable medical equipment) orders for those Medicare beneficaries.”
The tele-medical companies, in turn, would then allegedly pay physicians to write prescriptions for Medicare patients for these items, Lydon said. The tele-medical companies and the doctors had not previously done physical examinations on patients who had Medicare benefits.
The victims targeted in this scheme were “seniors.”
Those participating would get financial kickbacks, and those accused in the scheme spent the money - nearly $1 billion - on luxury items such as real estate, cars, and yachts.
Lydon said it’s the largest Medicare bust the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the IRS had ever seen, calling it a “nationwide fraudulent scheme.”
You can watch the full press conference by clicking here.
Copyright 2019 WIS. All rights reserved.
Carey Jinright, LO, MSM
WDJD
Be an example, not an excuse!
Confidentiality Notice - The information contained in this e-mail and any attachments to it may be legally privileged and include confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, be aware that any disclosure, distribution or copying of this e-mail or its attachments is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately of that fact by return e-mail and permanently delete the e-mail and any attachments to it. Thank you.
********************
To unsubscribe, send a message to: <Email Address Redacted> with
the words UNSUB OANDP-L in the body of the
message.
If you have a problem unsubscribing,or have other
questions, send e-mail to the moderator
Paul E. Prusakowski,CPO at <Email Address Redacted>
OANDP-L is a forum for the discussion of topics
related to Orthotics and Prosthetics.
Public commercial postings are forbidden. Responses to inquiries
should not be sent to the entire oandp-l list. Professional credentials
or affiliations should be used in all communications.
Citation
Carey, “Who didn’t see this coming?,” Digital Resource Foundation for Orthotics and Prosthetics, accessed November 25, 2024, https://library.drfop.org/items/show/209475.
