Medicare Loses Billions to Fraud Each Year!
You can prevent Medicare Fraud in three easy steps:
PROTECT | DETECT | REPORT
Protect
Protecting your personal information is the best defense against healthcare fraud.
Treat your Medicare card and Social Security number like a credit card. Never give these numbers to strangers.
Remember, Medicare will never call you to ask for your Medicare number.
Keep a record of your medical visits, tests, and procedures in a healthcare journal (available for free at our office).
Save your Medicare statements (i.e. Medicare Summary Notices or Explanation of Benefits).
Detect
Knowing how to detect suspicious activity can help you stop healthcare fraud and abuse.
Always review your Medicare statements. Look for any mistakes by comparing them with your personal records like a healthcare journal.
Top three things to look for:
Charges for something you did not receive
Billing for the same service or supplies twice
Services that were not ordered by your doctor
Remember, you are the best person for detecting Medicare fraud with your Medicare number.
Report
If you suspect you have been a target of Medicare fraud, report it! This will help you and others at risk of healthcare scams.
If you receive a suspicious call, do not give out any personal information. You can always hang up! Then report the call to the Illinois SMP.
If you have a question about your Medicare statement, call your healthcare provider and ask for clarification.
If you are not satisfied with the response from your healthcare provider, call the Illinois SMP. All calls are confidential.
Illinois SMP phone number is 1-800-699-9043