Medicare thieves.

• Author: Johnson, Kurt
• Position: Letters - Letter to the editor

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

I enjoyed "Medicare Thieves," by Peter Suderman (October). For several decades I have been a co-owner of a company that provides "durable medical equipment" (DME) under Medicare. As Suderman reported, within our category we have had more than our share of fraudulent providers who have ripped off Medicare and taxpayers. In its effort to reduce this fraud, Medicare now requires all DME providers to purchase a fidelity bond for each store location in the amount of $50,000. This amount is payable to Medicare in the event that Medicare makes an overpayment and the provider is not able to pay the money back. This requirement helps recover taxpayer money and ensures that an independent bonding company feels comfortable enough with the provider to issue the bond. Medicare also requires all DME providers to be accredited by an independent agency, just like hospitals. This helps ensure that safe and appropriate care is provided to the patient and requires that the accrediting agency be confident about the legitimacy of...