Feds stepping up action on medical scooter fraud

News outlets report on a range of developments related to health care fraud.

USA Today: Feds, Medicare Crack Down On Medical Scooter Fraud
The federal government is cracking down on medical-equipment providers who either overcharge Medicare for motorized wheelchairs or obtain them for people who don't need them, Medicare and Justice Department records show (Kennedy, 7/12).

Modern Healthcare: Lawmakers Probe Anti-Fraud Administrator About Problems With $161 Million Database
A Senate subcommittee on Tuesday lobbed several pointed questions at the CMS' top anti-fraud administrator, asking why a 5-year-old $161 million centralized database has yet to start delivering on its promise of preventing widespread abuse of the Medicare and Medicaid systems. Dr. Peter Budetti, deputy administrator and director for program integrity at the CMS, acknowledged to the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Services and International Security that the central repository of Medicare-Medicaid data was not yet as effective as it could be (Carlson, 7/12).

iWatch News (Center for Public Integrity): After Banned From Medicare, Podiatrist Bills $1M For Fake Care, Including Double-Amputee's Feet
Medicare says it wasn't its responsibility to keep tabs on a Maryland podiatrist who was banned from the program in 2007 for fraud, then submitted more than $1 million in fake bills to Medicare Advantage insurers. Dr. Larry Bernhard, a podiatrist from Gambrills, Md., last week pled guilty to submitting hundreds of claims to Medicare Advantage on behalf of nursing home patients he did not treat (Wieder, 7/13).