Medical professionals in New York often find themselves treating many patients, but not all patients are visiting doctors to get better. People might utilize all sorts of ways to get prescriptions they do not need. Here’s more information about a few common types of prescription medication fraud.
Forging a prescription
One common way for prescription medication fraud to occur is when someone forges a prescription. If a patient were to steal a prescription pad, they can forge a doctor’s signature on it. It’s also possible for a patient to receive their prescription from a doctor only to alter it later. A patient might alter the name of their medication, refill count or something else.
Doctor shopping
Another way that medication fraud occurs is when a patient “doctor shops.” Doctor shopping is when a patient visits multiple medical offices, often to obtain multiple prescriptions. Patients might also doctor shop if their assigned physician won’t prescribe a certain kind of medication.
Impersonating a doctor or one of their staff members
Under certain circumstances, a patient might try almost anything to get their hands on medication. Unfortunately, this strong need for prescription drugs might cause a patient to impersonate either a doctor or one of their staff members. An example of this type of health care fraud by “dirty doctors” occurs when a patient calls in a prescription for themselves and gives the doctor’s phone number for confirmation purposes.
Are you facing charges regarding prescription medication fraud? During this stressful time, it may be beneficial to have an attorney on your side. With an attorney in your corner, you’ll have someone who’s there to help defend you.