Health Care Fraud

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Health Care Fraud Attorneys

State and federal investigators have increased efforts to crack down on health care fraud abuse. Unfortunately, overzealous investigators who do not fully understand the practical problems faced by doctors and their staff, misinterpret honest mistakes for fraud. Since the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes and the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) can be confusing and duplicative in places, its not unusual for health care billing mistakes to occur. If a doctor misinterprets a CPT or HCPCS code, the same billing mistake can occur multiple times. To investigators, this may look like a pattern of fraud. It is just an honest mistake by the physician, though. Since billing codes are not always clear about precisely what kind of treatment they cover, it can be difficult to determine how certain office visits or procedures should be classified for billing purposes. Investigators who are not doctors do not always understand these and other practical difficulties that come with using CPT and HCPCS codes.

At the law office of The Law Office of Marc Shelowitz and Andrew Coffey, we have the experience, ability and resources needed to defend health care providers (including doctors, suppliers, billing agencies and hospital administrators) against charges of health care fraud. Before you talk further to investigators, contact the health care fraud lawyers at The Law Office of Marc Shelowitz and Andrew Coffey today to schedule a free, confidential consultation.

Allegations of Health Care Fraud

The law office of The Law Office of Marc Shelowitz and Andrew Coffey counsels and defends doctors, nurses, dentists, and medical suppliers in regard to the following criminal allegations:

• Upcoding
• Unbundling
• Referral kick-backs
• Medicaid fraud
• Medicare fraud
• Physician over-billing
• Providing unnecessary services

Avoiding an Obstruction of Justice Conviction

It is certainly not unusual for people to panic if they learn they are being investigated for health care fraud. Unfortunately, they sometimes react by destroying records, removing files, or creating false documents - even if they are innocent. When panic sets in, people can react in surprisingly ill-advised ways. However, destroying records or withholding certain kinds of information can lead to an obstruction of justice charge even if the fraud charges against you are eventually dropped. Consequently, people may be exonerated of all healthcare fraud charges but still find themselves being sent to prison on obstruction charges.

As your attorneys, we represent you in all dealings with investigators and law enforcement officers. We review all pertinent requests for information, ensuring you comply with investigators without incriminating yourself.

Contact Health Care Fraud Attorneys at The Law Office of Marc Shelowitz and Andrew Coffey

Health care fraud investigations often introduce conspiracy charges as well, allowing investigators to forego hearsay rules that would otherwise prevent unsubstantiated testimony from being introduced at trial. At The Law Office of Marc Shelowitz and Andrew Coffey, our attorneys understand what it takes to protect our clients at each and every stage of an investigation, working with our own investigators in order to identify procedural errors or other mistakes on the part of state and federal law enforcement.

If you've been indicted or are under investigation for health care fraud, contact the law office of The Law Office of Marc Shelowitz and Andrew Coffey today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.