Preventing home health fraud for older adults
Nov 07, 2024
(WGHP) — Wednesday was National Report Home Health Care Fraud Day. The majority of people who work for home health agencies are kind, honest people, but it's important for older adults and their families to remain aware whether you're using a home health agency or have hired an individual to come into your home.
In Successful Aging, we're looking at how to prevent the most common types of healthcare fraud according to the FBI.
First, always check your bill. Check for double billing where multiple claims are submitted for the same service.
The FBI says you should also check for phantom billing. That's where you're billed for a service or supplies that you never received.
Check for something called "upcoding." That's where you're billed for a more expensive service than you received.
Guard your financial information. This is especially important if someone else handles your money. Check your bank account statements and credit card reports frequently.
Finally, count your medications. Make sure you're getting what you pay for especially if you take painkillers or muscle relaxers. Pharmacists carefully count each pill so if your prescription is a few pills short, that should be a warning sign that something is wrong.