Scammers bill Medicare patients for unneeded urinary catheters

CODY (WNE) — Medicare beneficiaries across the country are finding charges worth thousands of dollars on their Medicare statements related to urinary catheters that were not needed or received.
“Scammers are taking advantage of the Medicare program and billing for unnecessary products, which is hurting the program. This is also putting Medicare beneficiaries’ Medicare card numbers at risk and compromising their medical identities,” said Sandy Goodman, Wyoming Senior Medicare Patrol.
The SMP program exists in every U.S. state, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. It assists Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud.
SMPs started receiving complaints of urinary catheter claims in May 2023.
They saw a handful of complaints per month until August 2023, when the number of complaints jumped 750%.