Being investigated or charged for any criminal act can have a detrimental impact on a professional’s life. This is particularly true in the healthcare industry where doctors, surgeons, and other medical professionals are required to maintain licenses and clean practice records. Being investigated for federal health care fraud can have a devastating impact on both the professional and personal lives of those accused.
In order to determine the potential consequences you could face from a federal health care investigation, it is important to recognize the type of fraud and the number of violations you are being accused of. In any case, there can be severe consequences that result in life-altering and profession-threatening implications.
Potential Consequences
There are a number of negative consequences you can face as a result of an investigation for health care fraud. Some of these include:
- Recoupments: Businesses and providers who are accused of overbilling Medicaid, Tricare, Medicare, or the DOL will have to repay all the overbilled amounts. In some cases, those accused may be subjected to pre-payment reviews if they are able to continue practicing in the future.
- Program Exclusions: Those charged with civil and criminal health care fraud violations can be excluded from Medicaid, Tricare, DOL programs, and Medicare participation. This can drastically limit the number of patients you are able to see in the future.
- Licensing Consequences: Being investigated and convicted of health care fraud can result in harsh disciplinarian actions from state licensing boards.
- Treble Damages: In addition to being forced to pay back overbilled charges, providers and businesses may have to pay damages. These damages equate to three times the losses the government sustains as a result of their actions.
- Civil and Criminal Fines: Those charged with health care fraud can be forced to pay steep fines. These fines are often applied on a per-claim basis.
- Federal Imprisonment: Those accused of health care fraud can face the potential of spending years or even decades in prison consequent to their actions. These charges should not be taken lightly.
- Costs and Attorneys’ Fees: Those found guilty of health care fraud may be forced to pay attorney fees and various other costs pertaining to their prosecutions. These can add up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Find a Qualified Health Care Fraud Defense Attorney
If you are being accused of committing health care fraud, it is imperative that you proceed with caution. You will want to work with a team of proven legal representatives who can guide you and fight to protect your legal rights. Our defense attorneys at Healthcare Fraud Group work diligently to protect the legal rights of the accused nationwide. We fight to help those accused of health care fraud and other serious crimes obtain the best possible outcomes for their cases. If you were accused of health care fraud, contact our law firm at 888-402-4054 to see how our knowledgeable health care fraud defense attorneys can help you.