Dr. Jose Katz, a
prominent cardiologist from Closter pulled off what authorities say was one of
the largest healthcare fraud schemes in history. Over $19 million was pilfered by Dr. Katz,
which is what authorities cited as being the largest such fraud ever committed
in New Jersey, New York, or Connecticut.
His two companies, Cardo-Med Services LLC and Comprehensive Healthcare
& Medical Services, treated patients
& Dr. Katz intentionally subjected them to various unnecessary tests and
procedures, which he billed to Medicare, Medicaid, Aetna, and other agencies
for reimbursement, according to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman.
Clearly, Dr. Katz found
a loophole in the system. My question is
how in the world does this go on unnoticed?
In an age where just about everything is electronic and we have so many
systems interacting with each other, it would seem like a flag would have gone off.
Another question this poses is how can we assure that there are not
other physicians out there that doing the same thing? In most cases, doctors will immediately be
taken at face value due to their trade; so how can we raise the bar to the “eye
ball” test? Legislation is not likely to
make a difference in these types of situations.
No, this is an issue that calls for more checks and balances by insurance
agencies and hospital administrators. Let’s hope that the authorities are hot
on the trail of any other physicians guilty of such heinous acts. As we say in our “text-speak”, SMH
http://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2013/11/closter_cardiologist_sentenced_to_78_months_for_record_19m_healthcare_scam.html
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