The Story:
As November began, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Arkansas indicted a man in that state of sending Medicare $100 million dollars in false billings in connection with numerous diagnostic testing labs he managed.
The Particulars:
The accused, Billy Joe Taylor, resides in Lavaca, a small town on Arkansas’ border with Oklahoma. He allegedly billed Medicare for urine drug testing and tests for respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic that were medically unnecessary, not ordered by medical providers, and/or not provided as represented.
The false billings at issue all occurred between February 2017 and May 2021.
There are 17 counts to the indictment and each is punishable by a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Taylor has denied the charges and says that he welcomes his day in court.
In Pill Form:
Taylor is innocent until proven guilty. But the problem that this indictment speaks of is certainly real. In 2020 alone, according to U.S. Department of Justice numbers, federal authorities charged more than 300 individuals with healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse schemes that targeted more than $6 billion.
Anyone who knows of anything suspicious with regard to Medicare billing in particular is asked to call 1-800-633-4227 or the Inspector General’s fraud hotline at 1-800-447-8477.
