What is healthcare fraud?

On Behalf of | Jan 18, 2022 | Health Care Fraud

There are several types of healthcare fraud and different fraudulent practice doctors may be accused of. Doctors and medical care providers who are facing serious allegations of healthcare fraud should be familiar with what those charges can include and how to defend themselves against them.

Types of medical fraud by doctors and healthcare providers

There are several types of healthcare fraud doctors and medical care providers may be accused of including:

  • Double billing – doctors and other medical care providers may be accused of the practice of double billing which includes the allegation that they submitted multiple claims for the same medical service provided.
  • Phantom billing – doctors and other medical care providers may be accused of the practice phantom billing which includes the allegation that they are billing for a service visit they never provided or supplies the patient never received.
  • Unbundling – doctors and other medical care providers may be accused of the practice of unbundling which includes submitting multiple bills for the same service by billing for different components of the service.
  • Upcoding – doctors and other medical care providers may be accused of the practice of upcoding which includes billing for a more expensive services than the patient actually received.

Medical care providers and doctors can face significant potential penalties and consequences associated with healthcare fraud. For that reason, they should know how to protect themselves from these serious allegations and be familiar with the important criminal defense options that may be available to them if they are facing this situation.