People should get the medical treatment they need. Many individuals rely on the government insurance known as Medicare to help cover their medical expenses. If you have realized that your hospital is overcharging Medicare for its services, you should come forward and expose the fraud.
A Las Vegas Medicare fraud attorney can help you report the wrongdoing and protect patients and tax payers alike. A qui tam lawyer from Tycko & Zavareei LLP is ready to help you with your healthcare fraud case. Schedule a free consultation with us today.
What is Medicare?
Medicare is a health insurance program. The United States government runs it, and it is available to US citizens all over the country to help cover costs from doctor visits, medications, and hospital stays.
People over the age of 65 are usually eligible for Medicare insurance, but there are exceptions. Sometimes, people under 65 use Medicare as their insurance.
What is Medicare Fraud, and Why is it so Serious?
Medicare fraud occurs when healthcare organizations that bill to Medicare are dishonest to in their billing in order to gain more money. This can look different in each case, but here are a few examples:
- A hospital overcharges for a surgery by claiming a specialist did it instead of a general practitioner.
- A doctor gives a patient the wrong diagnosis to bill Medicare more for their services.
- A pharmacy charges Medicare for expensive medications that a patient does not actually need.
- A specialist bills Medicare for a service they did not actually perform or for a service they did not need to perform.
While Medicare fraud can make medical professionals more money in the short-term, it ultimately hurts everyone involved. It breaks trust in that hospital or doctor and can lead to people not getting the medical treatment they need. Not to mention, any fraud case against the US government is ultimately stealing the tax money of all Americans, thus hurting the overall economy.
How Can I Report Medicare Fraud in Las Vegas?
In general, you should go through channels within your company when you notice dishonest practices. But sometimes, you will need to go outside of your company to the courts to expose Medicare fraud. You might need to file a whistleblower lawsuit.
With the right legal help, you can file a whistleblower lawsuit on behalf of the government to expose Medicare fraud. You can do this anywhere in the country, including Las Vegas, because of the protection of the False Claims Act.
How Does the False Claims Act Protect Whistleblowers Medicare Fraud Cases?
The federal False Claims Act protects whistleblowers in any state who choose to sue their employers for fraud on behalf of the US government. This includes cases of Medicare fraud.
Under the False Claims Act, you can keep a percentage of the recovered amount as a reward. The False Claims Act also offers you protection if your employer decides to retaliate against you for blowing the whistle on Medicare fraud. For example, if your employer decides to fire or demote you, you have the option to sue your employer in a separate claim.
The False Claims Act helps to hold groups responsible for fraud and ultimately discourages fraud from taking place.
The Nevada False Claims Act
Every state’s whistleblower law is a little different in the provisions and protections they give to whistleblowers. Many states have enacted their own False Claims Acts. These acts allow whistleblowers to sue their employers in state-level fraud cases on behalf of the state government.
In Nevada, you can sue on behalf of the state government in some cases. When our Medicare fraud attorneys review the specifics of your Las Vegas case, they can help determine whether you are eligible to file a whistleblower lawsuit and at which government level you can do this.
How Much Can I Recover in a Medicare Fraud Case in Las Vegas?
If you win your Las Vegas Medicare fraud case, you get to keep a percentage of the amount recovered, while the rest goes back to the US government. Typically this percentage is between 15 and 30 of the amount recovered, under both the federal False Claims Act and the Nevada False Claims Act. In cases of significant fraud, the reward you may receive will likely be large because of the significant recovery amount.
How Can a Las Vegas Medicare Fraud Attorney Help Me?
Getting the right legal help can mean the difference between success and failure in a Medicare fraud case. Our qui tam attorneys specialize in handling cases of Medicare fraud all over the country. They understand how this type of fraud works, what information you need to expose it, and how the entire process of pursuing a whistleblower lawsuit works.
After carefully reviewing the information you have collected, an attorney from our firm can offer you advice about how to best move forward with your case. We can help you go through all the steps of filing a whistleblower lawsuit, and we will only charge you for our services if you win your Las Vegas Medicare fraud case. Even then, we only take a percentage of the amount you recover from your case.
Schedule a Consultation with a Las Vegas Medicare Fraud Lawyer Today
Tycko & Zavareei LLP fights to protect the rights of whistleblowers everywhere and wants to help you expose Medicare fraud in Las Vegas. You can start by getting a free consultation. We will carefully review your case so you can understand your options.
Call us today for your free consultation.
