General Question for the Week of April 17, 2017

Question:

For the Medicare program, what is the difference between fraud and abuse?

Answer:

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) define fraud as making false statements or representations of material facts in order to obtain some benefit or payment for which no entitlement would otherwise exist. These acts may be committed either for the person’s own benefit or for the benefit of some other party. In order to

prove that fraud has been committed against the Government, it is necessary to prove that fraudulent acts were performed knowingly, willfully, and intentionally.

Abuse describes practices that, either directly or indirectly, result in unnecessary costs to the Medicare program. Many times abuse appears quite similar to fraud except that it is not possible to establish that abusive acts were committed knowingly, willfully, and intentionally.

For more details on fraud and abuse, go to section 20.3 at the following website: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/ge101c01.pdf.