This month’s Fraud Fact from the Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) focuses on providers
offering DNA or genetic testing to older adults and telling them that the service is free to Medicare
beneficiaries.
Out-of-the-blue genetic or DNA testing is NOT free and is not routinely covered for all Medicare
patients. If an individual offers you or someone you know such services, DO NOT go along with it.
Here is how the scheme works:
A provider offers an educational session to a group of seniors at a church, senior housing complex or
senior center. The provider takes the participants’ Medicare numbers and does DNA swabs. The
provider then bills Medicare for the services, which have not been deemed medically necessary and do
not have a referral from a primary doctor. Providing contact information or anything else during an
education session is OPTIONAL, and sign-up sheets should clearly state this.
In another scenario, the provider phones seniors and offers free DNA tests to be sent by mail. The
older adults are instructed to swab their cheeks at home and return the kits. The caller gets the seniors’
Medicare numbers and emphasizes there will be NO charge to the beneficiaries.
DO NOT give out your Medicare number over the phone, in the mail or in a group setting in
exchange for a promised free service.
DNA testing IS legitimately used by doctors at times to help determine how effective some
medications might be in treating some patients. However, you should ask your primary care doctor or
your specialist, who is familiar with your medical history, about such tests. As always, report suspected
Medicare fraud to the Missouri SMP at 1-888-515-6565.
This project was supported, in part, by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $662,347 with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of , nor an endorsement by, ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government