Home Health & Hospice Week

COVID fraudsters aren’t picky; they are targeting both beneficiaries and providers, according to the HHS Office of Inspector General’s latest Semiannual Report to Congress. “Scammers are using telemarketing calls, text messages, social media platforms, and door-to-door visits to perpetrate COVID-19-related scams,” OIG cautions in the report. “Fraudsters are offering COVID-19 tests, COVID-19 vaccine appointments, HHS grants, and Medicare prescription cards in exchange for personal details, including Medicare information,” the OIG adds.

Take action: “Providers can take a number of proactive steps now to prepare for and mitigate risks associated with the increased COVID-related enforcement activity,” advise attorneys Julian L. André, Benton Curtis, Dawn R. Helak, and Brian R. Stimson with law firm McDermott Will & Emery. For example, “regardless of the role you play in any telehealth system, look at the design of the system and conduct of other participants with the goal of reducing the risk of entanglement with unlawful actors,” they advise.

“Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone claiming to offer HHS grants related to COVID-19,” the OIG says in a fraud alert about COVID scams. Also, “be mindful of how you dispose of COVID-19 materials such as syringes, vials, vial container boxes, vaccination record cards, and shipment or tracking records,” the OIG urges. “Improper disposal of these items could be used by bad actors to commit fraud.”