NEW YORK STATE — The New York StateWide Senior Action Council (StateWide), a 54-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the needs and well-being of the state’s 3.6 million-plus senior citizens, announced its Medicare Fraud of the Month for February: catheter kit fraud.

The StateWide Fraud of the Month is a component of the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), the resource for New York State’s older adults and caregivers to detect, prevent and report health care fraud, errors and abuse. StateWide is New York’s grantee/administrator for this federal program.

“Medicare beneficiaries across the country are discovering charges for urinary catheter kits they did not need, did not request, and never received,” Maria Alvarez, executive director of StateWide, said. “Scammers often bill Medicare for 200-plus catheter kits at a time, resulting in suspicious claims ranging from $1,200-$2,400 or more on Medicare statements.”

How the scam works

Scammers use unsolicited calls, emails or online ads to collect Medicare numbers.

Medicare is billed for catheter kits that were never requested or ordered, and claims can appear legitimate because a familiar provider’s name is listed.

The beneficiary is unaware until reviewing their Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB).

Protect yourself

Since many people affected by this scam never receive any catheters at all, reviewing Medicare Summary Notices (MSN) or Explanations of Benefits (EOB) is the only way to know Medicare identities have been misused.

Don’t assume a charge is legitimate just because a familiar doctor’s name appears.

Report unauthorized charges to the NYS Senior Medicare Patrol for items not received or needed.

Never share personal Medicare information with unsolicited callers.

If there are charges for catheter kits on Medicare statements that were never received or were not ordered by your doctor, contact the NYS Senior Medicare Patrol (NYS SMP) for help.

StateWide also provides information and educational presentations, assistance regarding any Medicare questions, plan comparisons, appeals, billing issues and patients’ rights to all seniors throughout New York State.

It is estimated that Medicare fraud costs taxpayers over $60 billion dollars nationally per year. To help combat this illicit industry, StateWide announced its Fraud of the Month program in 2022 to highlight these scams being perpetrated on the state’s seniors.

“If you suspect your Medicare number has been compromised or medical equipment such as catheter kits have been ordered without permission, contact the New York State Senior Medicare Patrol at 800/333-4374, or visit www.nysenior.org. We have trained counselors to help Medicare beneficiaries in the fight against fraud,” Alvarez said.