What Is Healthcare Fraud?
Federal healthcare fraud investigations are initiated by the federal government and have involved a wide range of healthcare related matters including doctors and others in the medical field accepting or paying “kickbacks” or bribes, fraudulently billing insurance companies for services not rendered, or for non-medically necessary procedures, money laundering, and failure to pay taxes. Sometimes the charges are brought in addition to mail and wire fraud charges.
Healthcare fraud lawyer in New Jersey and New York
In the last few years federal authorities have initiated many investigations on a variety of healthcare related frauds. These include charges alleging falsifying services provided to patients, and allegations of various kick-back schemes. Lorraine Gauli-Rufo and her team have represented many doctors, physician assistants, nurses, medical facility employees, pharmacists, therapists, and others who are employed in healthcare related fields, and have successfully defended them against threatened and charged federal healthcare fraud offenses.
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If you or someone you love is charged or threatened with federal healthcare fraud, you need an experienced federal healthcare attorney such as the lawyers at LGR Law Group who can navigate the complexities of the federal charges. Lorraine Gauli-Rufo and her team have successfully defended many individuals including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, medical facility managers and others against federal charges or threats of healthcare fraud. Contact Lorraine Gauli-Rufo’s office today to set up a consultation.
Common examples of healthcare fraud involves allegations that physicians or medical facilities are charging for procedures that were never performed, are ordering tests and scans that are unnecessary or were never provided, or are falsify billing to insurance companies, all in effort to receive money for services that were not performed or were not medically necessary. Another common charge brought by the federal government involves the healthcare provider paying “kickbacks” to individuals or companies who send patients to the facility or pay individuals to come to their facility.
Even with implementing these best practices and procedures, you may fall prey to the federal government charging you with federal healthcare fraud. You must contact a federal criminal defense attorney to protect your rights and freedom immediately if this should occur.
In order to be convicted of federal healthcare fraud, the federal prosecutors must prove the person accused had an intent to defraud or devised a scheme to defraud. In other words, if the healthcare fraud defendant made a mistake or an error, they are not guilty of a healthcare fraud offenses. A seasoned federal healthcare fraud defense attorney knows all the elements that the government must prove to convict someone of healthcare fraud and will be able to determine if you have a valid defense to healthcare fraud charges.
If you have been accused of healthcare fraud, the possibility of losing your medical license is a true cause for concern. Medical professionals can and have lost their medical licenses for federal fraud convictions. You need a federal criminal defense attorney to help protect the loss of your license and protect your other valuable rights if you are charged or threatened with federal healthcare fraud.
You absolutely can go to prison for a federal healthcare fraud conviction. Whether you face prison time is up to several factors including what federal statute the government charges you with, your sentencing guidelines, the particular facts of your case, your criminal history, and other factors the Court can consider at sentencing. In addition to prison time, you may have to pay stiff fines as well as restitution and be subject to forfeiture. These are extremely serious penalties. That is why it is so important to speak with an experienced and qualified federal healthcare fraud lawyer as soon as you are charged or threatened with a crime.
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