Watch for Urinary Catheter Charges on Your Medicare Statement
The Missouri SMP has noticed an uptick in Medicare beneficiaries finding charges for urinary catheters on their Medicare Summary Notices (MSN) and Explanation of Benefits (EOB) that they did not order, need, or receive. This is a common Medicare scam. Scammers bill Medicare for catheters that were never ordered by your doctor. These charges can be very expensive. Because Medicare often pays the full cost, many people do not notice the scam right away.
Why This Scam Works– Scammers hope that:
- Medicare will not notice false charges.
- Medicare beneficiaries will not review their MSN’s.
Watch for These Red Flags
- There are charges on your MSN or EOB for catheters you did not receive OR your doctor did not order.
- You have received catheters or other medical equipment in the mail that your doctor did not order.
What should you do? – If you see charges on your MSN or receive any unapproved medical equipment:
- Call your healthcare provider to verify that it is not an error.
- Contact the Missouri SMP at 1-888-515-6565
Remember: If you or your doctor didn’t order it, it could potentially be fraud. Checking your Medicare statements often is one of the best ways to protect yourself.
The Missouri SMP is here to provide you with information you need to protect, detect, and report potential Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse. If you think you or a loved one has been a target of a Medicare scam, call the Missouri SMP at 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 $638,014 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
Comments 11
Vanessa White
This is important information and good to know. Thanks for sharing!
Donna W
I will be more vigilant in reviewing my EOB. Thank you.
Daphne Phillips
Attended a Choice luncheon on how scammers will go so far as charging catheters on Medicare bills- to male and females not using the items. Medicare doesn’t note this error, it has to be ‘US’, to report the scam. My question is how long will Medicare take to correct one’s records and if and when criminals will be charged. I get angry with the system. All they want to do is blame those who believe in the system thought to protect seniors. Does the system thinks I wanna read all that paper s**t mailed, yet understand what it means? Stop being political, Daphne 🙂
Carlyn Webber
I will be more intense in reviewing my EOB checking for valid fees/scams.
Barb Bowen
I just happen to look at bunch of EOBs. i looked because there were so many. I ended up with 17,000.00 worth of “single use urinary catheters”. I cannot rember the name of medical supply company but i do remember it has “medical supply” in its name. I took all the papers to the office managerof my Drs office and she reviewed every order my Dr ever wrote and of course there were none. She took care of everything. FYI she even checked my supliment and they never charged them. I’ve never gotten anymore.
Brenda Morgan
It is always good to check your medical statements thanks for sharing the information.
Janef Ward
Thank you for the information.
Michelle Austin-Gray
Thank you for letting us know how this happens, and what to do about it. Makes us aware, and we know what to do if we encounter it?!
redie
good data
Paul Klos
I believe you have a misprint in the 1st bullet item under subheading “What should you do?”. It would be less confusing if you removed the word “not”.
karenluster
My brotherat this time is using catether and this information would be something I will share