Abusers of the Medicare system can sometimes be intentional or not, but the stories that really get significant attention of the public are the ones that highlight healthcare personnel that intentionally over bill Medicare.

There are several types of abuse including falsifying claim forms adjusting the actual cost of services, Billing for services and supplies that were not provided, and even billing for appointments that were canceled.

On April 18, 2016, The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia announced that it has reached a settlement with dermatologists Margaret Kopchick, M.D., and Russell Burken, M.D., and their practice group, Toccoa Cl
inic Medical Associates, who agreed collectively to pay $ 1.9 million to settle claims that they violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for evaluation and management (E&M) services that were not permitted by Medicare rules.

“The improper billing of evaluation and management services cost the taxpayers millions of dollars each year and drain the Medicare Trust Fund,” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) for the Atlanta region.  “The OIG and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to hold health care providers like these responsible for improper claims.”

You can read the full press release on the justice.gov website here.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at[email protected] or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

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