To become a Medicare whistleblower, you simply have to report Medicare fraud. To accomplish this, you can choose to report Medicare fraud by calling a fraud-report hotline, filling out a claim report form on a website, or faxing or mailing details of the crime. Alternatively, you may seek the help of an attorney to sue the party you suspect of committing fraud and possibly receive a monetary reward.
When you report Medicare fraud, you become a Medicare whistleblower. Usually, you can do so by calling a hotline that is specifically maintained for these types of reports. You can find the hotline phone number on the official Medicare website. You can also find email and mailing addresses for reporting fraud on the same site. You even have the option of becoming a Medicare whistleblower by sending a fraud report by fax.
You can help those involved get to the root of matters by providing as much information about the fraud as possible. For example, you may provide such details as the names of the parties you believe are involved, the services or items involved, and the dates on which the fraud occurred. If you have information about the amount of money involved, you may help by including that information as well. If you have documents that can be used as evidence of the fraud and you are emailing, faxing, or mailing your fraud report, you may do well to send copies of these along; otherwise, you may hold onto them for future use. Additionally, your fraud report should include details that explain why you believe fraud has occurred.
If you are interested in receiving a reward for reporting Medicare fraud, you may choose to seek a lawyer’s help. There are many law firms that specialize in helping whistleblowers report fraud and collect monetary rewards for doing so; they also help whistleblowers deal with any threats or attempts at retaliation they may suffer after reporting fraud. To pursue a fraud case this way, you will usually have to contact a firm that handles Medicare fraud and explain your case. If you have a good case, the firm will typically help you sue on behalf of the government and receive a portion of the settlement secured from the lawsuit. In fact, you can receive up to 30 percent of the settlement the government receives if you become a Medicare whistleblower.
