About 30 arrested over Medicare fraud in 3 states
 

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer

Federal agents arrested about 30 suspects in three states Tuesday in a major crackdown on Medicare fraud totaling $61 million in separate scams as the government targets waste in taxpayer-funded health care.

Arrests in Miami, Brooklyn and Detroit included a Florida doctor who allegedly ran a $40 million home health care scheme, including falsely listing patients as blind diabetics so that he could bill for twice-daily nurse visits, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said.

The two federal agencies spearheading a national crackdown on Medicare fraud said the suspects lined up bogus patients and otherwise billed Medicare for unnecessary medical equipment, physical therapy and HIV infusions

Those arrested included one Miami doctor, Fred Dweck, and about 14 people who worked with him, including nurses.

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Good! Shame on everyone who figures out how to bilk the system. I see crap like this on a much smaller scale on a daily basis, and it makes me sick. Unfortunately, it has become harder and harder for primary care physicians to make a living seeing patients billing the normal way. Reimbursement is terrible. The problem comes when they convince themselves that it's okay to commit fraud because they aren't being paid what they deserve. Yeah....not okay!

Reiumbursement might be better if there weren't fraudulent claims out there. Damn, it sucks doing the right thing.