There are numerous programs and devices that scam artists are seeking to sell to physicians as big legal money makers that only make money for the scam artists and leave the physicians in big legal trouble. These scam artists may even boost their sales with documentation that makes their products and billings appear legal but are fraudulent, even if they have articles and reports from purported authorities who vouch for both the programs/devices and the coding to Medicare and other third-party payers. Always follow the cardinal rule of avoiding being taken advantage of and that is if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. That means that it is not true. That means that you the physician are the target. The question is how can you tell the difference between the fakes and the infrequent good deal?
The scam artists make their money off of you either directly or indirectly. You are either paying them upfront and they are gone with your money with no accountability to the government. The government is going to look at you for reimbursement because it was your provider number that was billed with. You may even face prosecution while the scammers smile all the way to their banks and the Bahamas. The alternative is that the scammers are going to be paid by you as you bill the government with your physician participation number. It is not their number and the government is going to look to you for the false and fraudulent billings. The scammers are again on their way to the Bahamas while you are holding the bag.
How do you avoid being stuck, especially when someone comes along with a deal that seems too good to be true. The answer is to retain a Medicare fraud defense lawyer. An attorney who has the experience to discern fraud and fiction. You need someone who has been on both sides of prosecution. You need a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and a former Senior Attorney of the Office of Inspector General of HHS. Such an individual is Kenneth J Haber. Don’t wait until it is too late. Check up on the get rich programs before the scammers get rich off of you.
