Mental health facility fraud is a major problem in the United States. Not only does mental health facility fraud have financial consequences, but it jeopardizes the well-being of patients. Mental health facility fraud can occur in mental health facilities such as residential facilities, nursing homes, and community mental health centers, and it may involve psychologists, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals. Due to the importance of combating mental health facility fraud, the government offers financial rewards to individuals who blow the whistle on this illicit practice. Below is an overview of mental health facility fraud.
Types of Mental Health Facility Fraud
Common types of mental health facility fraud include:
- Billing for services not provided and double billing — Mental health facilities sometimes illegally bill Medicare or Medicaid for services that were never provided or bill for extra hours.
- Unlicensed employees — Mental health facilities may not bill for services that were provided by unlicensed practitioners who did not have proper supervision.
- Unnecessary prescriptions — In order to increase payments, mental health facilities sometimes order and fill unnecessary prescriptions for patients.
- Kickbacks — Kickbacks (payments made for referrals) are a form of mental health facility fraud.
- Upcoding — When a mental health facility bills the government for a service at a higher rate than is authorized, this is called upcoding, and it is a common form of mental health facility fraud.
- Unnecessary services — Mental health facilities are prohibited from providing unnecessary services to patients in order to increase revenues.
Mental Health Facility Fraud Whistleblower Rewards
In order to receive a financial reward as a whistleblower, you must have original, undisclosed information about mental health facility fraud that results in a fraud conviction. If your case is successful, you may be entitled to up to 30 percent of the money recovered by the government. Given the large amounts of money typically recovered in these types of cases, your compensation as a whistleblower can be significant. Therefore, if you have information to provide the government about mental health facility fraud, it is in your best interests to report it. However, in order to increase your odds of a successful whistleblower claim, you should contact a mental health facility whistleblower attorney for assistance.
Contact Our Mental Health Facility Whistleblower Attorneys
If you have knowledge of mental health facility fraud, you need a mental health facility whistleblower attorney on your side. At Jeff Newman Law, our experienced attorneys can help you obtain the whistleblower reward you deserve. When we take on your mental health facility whistleblower case, we will provide you with informed representation, explain all of your rights, and work tirelessly to protect your identity. As our client, you can rest assured that our legal team will do everything in our power to help you obtain the financial reward you deserve. Please contact us today for a consultation.
