An Oklahoma City healthcare fraud defense attorney protects healthcare providers against federal and state charges. They provide legal services and support to healthcare professionals and organizations under investigation for fraud. In addition, they help clients minimize the risk of fines, prison time, and other criminal penalties.
Partner with an Oklahoma City fraud defense attorney if you or your healthcare organization is being investigated for fraudulent activities. Your lawyer can detail your legal options and the steps to take to disprove the case against you.
What Does an Oklahoma City Healthcare Fraud Defense Lawyer Do?
Healthcare fraud defense lawyers in Oklahoma City offer legal guidance and support to doctors, dentists, physician groups, hospitals, and many others. Some of the ways that these attorneys help healthcare professionals and organizations include:
- Representing clients during investigations, audits, or grand jury proceedings before charges are filed
- Defending clients in cases involving mail or wire fraud, money laundering, and Medicaid fraud
- Addressing compliance issues with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and professional licensing boards
- Challenging government cases regarding Medicaid, Medicare, and Tricare fraud
- Disputing False Claims Act (FCA) and whistleblower claims
- Engaging in plea deal negotiations with a prosecutor on your behalf
- Arguing your case in a trial if no plea agreement is reached
As you search for a healthcare fraud defense attorney in Oklahoma City, consider a lawyer’s client testimonials. These will give you a glimpse into what it’s like to have this lawyer on your side and whether they have what it takes to handle your case.
Types of Healthcare Fraud Defense Cases We Handle in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City defense lawyers can provide personalized legal recommendations and support based on the circumstances of your case. They may help you with your case if it involves any of the following fraud allegations:
- Billing Fraud: Someone alleges that you billed them for services that you didn’t provide (phantom billing), billed them more than once, or unbundled costs (billing for different parts of a procedure separately to increase reimbursement).
- Upcoding: This involves inflating billing codes to charge someone for healthcare services that are more expensive than the ones that they actually received.
- Illegal Kickbacks and Self-Referrals: The Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), also referred to as the Stark Law, bars healthcare providers from knowingly and willfully soliciting, receiving, offering, or paying bribes, kickbacks, or rebates to induce referrals for services or items paid by federal health care programs. Violating this law can result in felony penalties, such as a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and a fine of up to $100,000.
- Documentation Fraud: It is against the law to falsify medical records to justify healthcare services, forge prescriptions, or inflate visit counts. Doing any of these things may be considered documentation fraud and can result in a criminal conviction and severe penalties.
- Medically Unnecessary Services: If you’re found to be providing or billing for unnecessary treatments, tests, or equipment, you can be fined $20,000 or more in accordance with the FCA.
- Drug Diversion: Illegally prescribing or distributing controlled substances can lead to lifetime imprisonment.
Oklahoma City healthcare fraud defense attorneys know the challenges that come with contesting these and other allegations. Your lawyer will consider the circumstances of your situation carefully. From here, they can create a custom legal defense that makes it tough for a prosecutor to prove that convicting you is warranted.
