Cozort L A
College of Business and Technology, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, South Dakota, USA.
Healthc Financ Manage. 2001 Mar;55(3):44-8.
A May 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision determining when a Federal bribery statute can be used to fight Medicare fraud has ramifications for healthcare providers. In Fischer v. United States, the Court concluded that healthcare providers that participate in Medicare are considered to receive benefits as set forth in the bribery statute and thus can be prosecuted for fraudulent activities against the government under the statute. The statute mandates a fine, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both for anyone convicted under it. Provider organizations that receive Medicare payments and business associates of such organizations should be aware that the government may step up its use of the bribery law in prosecuting fraudulent activity. In addition, although the case pertained specifically to healthcare providers that participate in Medicare, providers that do not participate in Medicare may wish to evaluate the advisability of accepting other Federal funding because of the possible reach of the bribery statute.
2000年5月美国最高法院作出的一项裁决，确定了何时可利用联邦贿赂法规打击医疗保险欺诈行为，这对医疗保健提供者产生了影响。在“费舍尔诉美国”一案中，最高法院得出结论，参与医疗保险的医疗保健提供者被视为收受了贿赂法规中所规定的利益，因此可依据该法规被起诉针对政府的欺诈活动。该法规规定，任何被判定有罪的人都将被处以罚款、最高10年监禁或两者并处。接受医疗保险付款的提供者组织以及此类组织的业务伙伴应意识到，政府可能会加大利用贿赂法来起诉欺诈活动的力度。此外，尽管该案件具体涉及参与医疗保险的医疗保健提供者，但未参与医疗保险的提供者可能希望评估接受其他联邦资金是否明智，因为贿赂法规可能会产生影响。
