The New York StateWide Senior Action Council’s

“Medicare Fraud of the Month for December”

ALBANY, N.Y., Dec. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — The New York StateWide Senior Action Council (StateWide), an organization dedicated to advocacy for the rights of seniors in New York State, today announced its Medicare Fraud of the Month for December: Durable Medical Equipment Fraud (DME).

The StateWide Fraud of the Month is a component of the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), the definitive resource for New York State’s senior citizens and caregivers to detect, prevent, and report healthcare fraud, errors, and abuse. StateWide is New York’s grantee/administrator for this Federal Program.

“December may be the time for giving but beware of unsolicited offers of Durable Medical Equipment. Fraudsters target Medicare beneficiaries with schemes to sell unnecessary DME like back, knee, or wrist braces,” explained Maria Alvarez, Executive Director of StateWide.

Alvarez offered the following tips to protect Seniors’ Medicare benefits and health:

Unsolicited Calls & Offers:

• Be wary of phone calls or ads claiming “qualification” for free or low-cost braces. Scammers may try to collect Seniors’ Medicare information to bill for unnecessary equipment.

Medicare Fraud Risks:

• Once fraudsters have an individual’s Medicare information, they can submit fraudulent claims, potentially jeopardizing access to legitimate healthcare needs.

Unnecessary Equipment:

• Receiving DME not requested alters a patient’s medical identity.
• This will impact how doctors offer treatment
• Always consult a doctor for medical advice.

StateWide offers Seniors the Following Advice to Avoid DME Scams:

Guard Medicare Numbers and other personal information: 

• Treat it like a credit card number and share it only with trusted healthcare providers.

Don’t Respond to Unsolicited Offers:

• Hang up on unexpected calls about medical equipment or services.

Be Sure a Doctor:

• Has personally assessed your condition and orders the proper equipment or supplies customized to your specific needs.

Report Suspicious Activity:

• Check Medicare statements and look for charges for equipment never requested or not received.
• If unrequested DME is received and fraud is suspected report it immediately to the NYS Senior Medicare Patrol.

“We have trained counselors to help educate Medicare beneficiaries in the fight against health care fraud. To report Medicare fraud, errors or abuse you can call our NYS Medicare Fraud Helpline at 800-333-4374 or visit www.nysenior.org,” Alvarez concluded.

StateWide also provides information and educational presentations, assistance regarding any Medicare questions, plan comparisons, appeals, billing issues and patients’ rights to all seniors throughout New York State.

It is estimated that Medicare fraud costs taxpayers over $60 billion dollars nationally per year. To help combat this illicit industry StateWide announced its Fraud of the Month program in 2022 to highlight these scams being perpetrated on the State’s seniors.

SOURCE New York StateWide Senior Action Council, Inc.