It's no wonder leaders in the health community, such as Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, are joining together in Miami for the nation's first healthcare fraud summit: The scope of healthcare fraud is reaching now into other areas such as rehabilitation and mental health, according to a report by the Miami Herald.
Government records show bills from Florida mental health and rehabilitation facilities to Medicare clocked in at a total of $421 million and $310 million, respectively. To put things in perspective, the government reports that Florida's mental health clinics submitted bills totaling 635 times higher than Michigan.
These sky-high numbers aren't a collective measure of people only participating in fraudulent activity within the scope of hospitals. Other medical areas such, as mental health and rehabilitation, are starting to see more and more cases of fraud. In 2008 alone, Medicare paid over $500 million to Miami-Dade home healthcare agencies to treat diabetic patients, which is more than the rest of the nation combined. Officials say that though not all of that is tied to criminal activity, Florida's numbers soar so much higher than other states that fraud could be the only logical explanation.
The result of expanding fraudulent activity in South Florida is costing taxpayers between $3-$4 billion each year, according to the Miami Herald.
Read the Miami Herald report on Florida healthcare fraud.
Read more coverage on healthcare fraud:
- Former CFO Accuses Indiana ASC, Hospital of Billing Fraud; Government Assessing Whether to Intervene
- Michigan Physical Therapist and Physician Assistant Plead Guilty to Healthcare Fraud, Another to Face Jail Time
- New York Senator Introduces Bill to Stop Healthcare Fraud
Government records show bills from Florida mental health and rehabilitation facilities to Medicare clocked in at a total of $421 million and $310 million, respectively. To put things in perspective, the government reports that Florida's mental health clinics submitted bills totaling 635 times higher than Michigan.
These sky-high numbers aren't a collective measure of people only participating in fraudulent activity within the scope of hospitals. Other medical areas such, as mental health and rehabilitation, are starting to see more and more cases of fraud. In 2008 alone, Medicare paid over $500 million to Miami-Dade home healthcare agencies to treat diabetic patients, which is more than the rest of the nation combined. Officials say that though not all of that is tied to criminal activity, Florida's numbers soar so much higher than other states that fraud could be the only logical explanation.
The result of expanding fraudulent activity in South Florida is costing taxpayers between $3-$4 billion each year, according to the Miami Herald.
Read the Miami Herald report on Florida healthcare fraud.
Read more coverage on healthcare fraud:
- Former CFO Accuses Indiana ASC, Hospital of Billing Fraud; Government Assessing Whether to Intervene
- Michigan Physical Therapist and Physician Assistant Plead Guilty to Healthcare Fraud, Another to Face Jail Time
- New York Senator Introduces Bill to Stop Healthcare Fraud