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Health Care Fraud
Protect Yourself from Health Care Fraud
Health care fraud is more common than you think. Take these 12 steps to protect yourself from health care fraud:
- Your personal doctor, hospital or clinic are the only professionals who should make referrals for you.
- Never show anyone your medical or prescription records without first talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
- If someone tries to threaten or pressure you into taking action, simply hang up the phone or delete their email.
- If a visitor comes to your home claiming to represent Medicare or another organization, shut the door.
- Do your homework and talk to your health care provider before buying or investing in a miracle cure product or service.
- Do not keep mail in your mailbox for more than one day. People can steal personal information.
- Shred your health care paperwork and other important documents before throwing them away.
- Treat your Medicare and Social Security numbers like credit cards. If someone offers to buy them, please decline.
- Remember that Medicare does not sell any products.
- Follow your instincts. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
- If you suspect an error, fraud or abuse related to health care, gather the facts and report it.
- Always read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or health care billing statement. Your Medicare Summary Notice is the piece of mail stamped, "This is not a Bill," that comes in after you seek medical care. Look for three things on your billing statement:
- Charges for something that you didn't get
- Billing for the same thing twice
- Services that were not ordered by the doctor
For more information about health care fraud, or to report an incident, visit the Stop Medicare Fraud website.