If you’re considering reporting Medicare fraud or have been the victim of retaliation for blowing the whistle, you may want to consider talking to a Medicare fraud attorney. Whistleblower laws are complex. In order to receive protection, you have to have reported an actual violation. The Medicare laws are complex. Without a strong background in Medicare law, even an experienced attorney may struggle to properly evaluate whether Medicare fraud occurred.
What Does a Medicare Fraud Attorney Do in a Whistleblower Case?
A Medicare fraud attorney’s job is to help you determine whether a Medicare violation occurred. If you are considering blowing the whistle, you may need help to prove that a violation occurred. The Medicare system is complex. Therefore, it is easy to feel that something is not quite right when a company is actually in full compliance with the law. Speak to a Medicare fraud attorney about the situation to find out whether an actual violation occurred. They can help you avoid a situation where you lose your job because of a mistaken fraud report. It’s important to know what whistleblower laws protect – and what they do not protect. Because of attorney-client confidentiality rules, you can almost always ask your own attorney for advice. That’s true even if you have a nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement with your employer.
Have you already made a report? Your employer will likely do everything they can to prove that no violation occurred. They will likely call on an experienced legal team who will work hard to find every possible defense and loophole. If they succeed, you may lose whistleblower protections. Working with your own experienced attorney can help. This way, you can ensure your claims are evaluated on their merits and not by your employer being able to outmaneuver you legally.
How a Medicare Fraud Claim is Evaluated
Medicare fraud typically involves some sort of false statement by a company. They may over-bill for services rendered or bill for services they never rendered. They may also engage in price-fixing. Finally, they may follow other non-competitive practices while claiming to operate under fair and open practices that give patients the best rates possible under market conditions.
When a fraud allegation is made, they will typically produce the falsified records as proof that everything was done properly. The key to proving a fraud claim is understanding how to exploit weaknesses in these documents. Furthermore, success depends on knowing how to use the available legal procedures to secure additional evidence that undermines the validity of these documents. This can be a monumental task for a layperson, especially if you are simultaneously fighting for your livelihood.
To schedule a consultation with an experienced Medicare fraud attorney, contact Bothwell Law Group today.