The federal government has made clear its commitment to throwing the proverbial book at medical laboratories suspected of unethical billing practices.
Not even major corporations have escaped federal review. Take, for example, Quest Diagnostics which reportedly paid the federal government $1.79 million in 2015 to settle allegations of double billing and false claims relating to routine venipuncture services (e.g. blood draws), panel tests, and other services.
That may seem like a staggering sum, but don’t assume that multi-million-dollar settlements or verdicts are unique to major international corporations like Quest. Small, independently owned medical laboratories are fingered for fraud all the time more often than ever in recent years, as federal agencies enjoy their biggest budgets yet for investigating fraud.
Of particular interest to agents recently is mobile lab fraud. Mobile blood draws and urine screens are more and more common in modern American medicine. That means the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) are receiving a growing number of claims for mobile diagnostic services.
examining a recent case in which three Brooklyn-based mobile lab owners were charged in an alleged multi-million-dollar healthcare fraud scheme.
The case is only one of many, underscoring the urgent threat of federal intervention currently facing the mobile diagnostics industry.
If you own or work for a medical lab especially one that provides mobile services you should understand what federal agents are looking for and how to respond if they come knocking at your door.