Help stamp out Medicare fraud in June

by | Jun 4, 2024 | News, Senior Scope

By Lucilia Prates, State Director
Massachusetts Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Program

We encourage all Medicare beneficiaries, family members, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report Medicare fraud.

Monday, June 3, through Sunday, June 9, 2024, is the Senior Medicare Patrol’s (SMP) National Medicare Fraud Prevention Week. We can all do our part in protecting Medicare by carefully reviewing all Medicare Summary Notices (MSN), Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and other billing statements and reporting any questionable charges to the Massachusetts SMP Program by calling 1-800-892-0890.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) is a national program that educates Medicare beneficiaries, family members, and caregivers on the importance of preventing, detecting, and reporting Medicare fraud.

Did you know that Medicare loses an estimated $60 billion each year due to healthcare errors, fraud, and abuse?

This impacts beneficiaries across the country, often costing them time, money, and wellbeing. Repeated errors by a doctor or provider could be considered a red flag of potential fraud or abuse if not corrected.

When people steal from Medicare, it hurts us all and is big business for criminals. Some common examples of fraud, errors, or abuse include:

  • Charging for services or supplies that were not provided.
  • Misrepresenting a diagnosis, a person’s identity, the service provided, or other facts to justify payment.
  • Prescribing or providing excessive or unnecessary tests and services.
  • Falling prey to consumer scams or health care fraud may mean that your Medicare number has been “compromised” as a result of medical identity theft.
  • Stealing from Medicare leaves less available funds for those needing services now as well as those needing Medicare in the future.

Caregivers, Families, Partners and professionals, Health care providers, and overall community, for more information on how you can participate in Medicare Fraud Prevention Week efforts, visit www. smpresource.org.

We can all help stamp out Medicare fraud!