Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Federal running of Medicare

... and they want to use this 'expertise' to run ALL healthcare .

Note the very last paragraph that shows the expertise and efficiency of the current Medicare program and how it is managed by the Federal Gov't :

The raids came a week after a report that Miami-Dade County got more than half a billion dollars from Medicare in home health care payments intended for the sickest patients in 2008, more than the rest of the country combined, even though only 2 percent of those patients nationwide live there.


December 16, 2009

26 Arrested in Three States in Medicare Fraud Schemes

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Federal agents arrested 26 suspects in three states on Tuesday, including a doctor and nurses, in a crackdown on Medicare fraud totaling $61 million.

Arrests in three separate cases in Brooklyn, Detroit and Miami included a Florida doctor accused of running a $40 million home health care scheme that falsely listed patients as blind diabetics so he could bill for twice-daily nurse visits.

The Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services said 32 indicted suspects lined up bogus patients and otherwise billed Medicare for unnecessary medical equipment, physical therapy and infusions for H.I.V.

The doctor in Miami, Dr. Fred E. Dweck, along with 14 people with whom he worked, was accused in an indictment of running a scam to tap a Medicare program that pays high rates to care for the sickest patients.

Dr. Dweck referred about 1,250 Medicare beneficiaries for expensive and unnecessary home health and therapy services, the indictment said, and bribed the owners of two clinics in Miami to join the scam. He also faked medical certifications, according to the indictment.

A telephone listing for Dr. Dweck could not be found.

Also arrested in Miami was Yudel Cayro, owner of Courtesy Medical Group. He is accused of stealing millions of dollars from Medicare.

“No matter what type of fraud is committed, there is one common denominator and that denominator is greed,” said Lanny Breuer, an assistant attorney general. “Medicare fraud is not a victimless crime. It hurts every American taxpayer by raising the cost of health care.”

The raids came a week after a report that Miami-Dade County got more than half a billion dollars from Medicare in home health care payments intended for the sickest patients in 2008, more than the rest of the country combined, even though only 2 percent of those patients nationwide live there.

No comments: