The Feds Arrest 32 in Arthritis Kits Scam

Arthritis kits are essentially nothing more than expensive orthotics that included knee and shoulder braces. Federal authorities learned that, in many instances, these arthritis kits were unnecessary as many patients never even used them. Wednesday's raid targeted doctors and health care clinic owners who billed between $3,000 to $4,000 for each kit despite the fact that they were not medically necessary.

Wednesday's "arthritis kits" fraud arrests was the third major heath care fraud sweep as part of an increased effort by the Obama administration to combat a problem that costs the United States billions of dollars a year.

In just two months, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has arrested and charged 145 people in Medicare fraud schemes such as yesterday's arthritis kits scam and $371 million in false Medicare claims has been
recovered.

More than 200 agents worked on Wednesday's $16 million "arthritis kits" bust serving 12 search warrants at health care businesses and homes across the Houston area alone.

Unfortunately, our failing health care system has given birth to many types of Medicare, Medicaid, and other health insurance fraud like the arthritis kits scam. Many scams now including home health care, physical therapy and infusion drugs.

The "arthritis kits" scam is just the latest in a growing trend of sophisticated health care fraud schemes. For example, in Houston another scam involves the use of liquid food such as Ensure which is for patients who can't eat solid food. Often times clinic owners would bill this food despite it never being shipped to the patient or, worse, billed to a patient who is already dead at the time they allegedly received it.

Written by Gabriel Dorman
gabedorman@gmail.com
www.criminaldefenseduilawyer.com/blog/