Queens Business Accused of Medicare Fraud for Bogus Claims

Medicare Fraud Scheme Uncovered

• 🎯 Queens-based business Almaz Med Supply is accused of submitting fraudulent Medicare claims for supplies never ordered or received by recipients.
• 💸 Medicare has reportedly paid out tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars for these bogus claims.
• 💡 Recipients from across the country, including Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland, have discovered claims for items like wound dressing, glucose monitors, and catheters that they never requested or needed.

How Fraudsters Obtain Information

• ❓ Recipients are baffled by how the business obtained their Medicare numbers and managed to submit claims.
• 🔍 Experts suggest that personal information is widely available through data breaches, the dark web, and other means, enabling fraudsters to obtain necessary details.

Previous Investigations and Scale of the Problem

• ⚠️ This is not an isolated incident; a previous CBS News investigation uncovered another New York City business defrauded Medicare for millions in similar catheter claims.
• 📊 Federal data indicates that Medicare fraud, errors, and abuse cost the US Department of Health and Human Services an estimated $60 billion annually.

Business Registration and Ownership

• 🏢 State records link Almaz Med Supply to a Zurab Satkali, who was associated with a Brooklyn apartment building.
• 🚫 Attempts to contact Satkali at the listed address were met with denial of knowledge about the business.
• 🕵️ A previous owner reportedly sold the business to Satkali and later learned of fraud allegations.

Medicare's Recoupment Efforts

• 💰 HHS has stated that they have methods to claw back payments in some cases.
• ⚠️ While a claim may appear paid, it doesn't always mean the money has been disbursed, but significant losses do occur, contributing to the billions lost annually.