Why Do Doctors Need Lawyers?

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Lawyers for doctors in the US do more than just help them with paperwork and registrations. They protect the doctors against allegations of healthcare fraud. These allegations, if left undefended, could end in a conviction which could lead to imprisonment, penalties, loss of license to practice, etc. This blog outlines the significance of doctors for lawyers.

They intimate you of crimes

Most doctors are not even aware that their actions constitute healthcare fraud under various laws. A lawyer for doctors will be able to intimate them of what actions of theirs attract penal provisions of anti-healthcare fraud laws in the US. Healthcare fraud can be broadly categorized as making deliberate misrepresentations, deliberately receiving incentives for referrals, or making referrals that are illegal. Specifically, this could look like billing for services not provided or offered, ordering services that are medically unnecessary, billing for appointments that were not kept, etc.

They intimate you of laws

Healthcare fraud in the US is governed by several federal laws like the False Claims Act, the Stark Law, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and the Social Security Act. An attorney for doctors will intimate you of the same so that you conduct your practice without violating any of these laws.The punishments prescribed under these laws are very strict. For instance, the Anti-Kickback Statute prescribes fines that amount to $100,000 per kickback, the False Claims Act can attract a penalty of $22,927 for every false claim, and the Stark Law imposes fines of $24,478 per fraudulent service. In addition to civil penalties, they can also attract jailtime and cancellation of license. This is why it is imperative that a good attorney for doctors is hired when allegations of healthcare fraud are raised.

They provide you with relevant information

An attorney for doctors can help shed light on how these laws and punishments actually play out in courts. Their experience arms them with information like the average jailtime for healthcare fraud – 30 months, the percentage of convictions that result in jailtime – over 73%, etc. Such information can come in handy in preparing a good defense. 

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