Many nursing homes in Illinois are safe and comfortable places. Unfortunately, though, nursing home abuse is probably more common than you think. Not all forms of elder abuse involve physical injuries or emotional harm, however. In fact, health care fraud may be strong evidence of nursing home abuse.
There are several theories about what constitutes health care fraud. When trying to determine if your aging mother or father is the victim of elder abuse, though, health care fraud has a specific meaning. That is, the nursing home represents care in a way that does not match with reality. Here are some ways health care fraud may be nursing home abuse.
Medication problems
Your aging loved one may take one, two or several pills every day to treat or prevent illness. For medication to work, your mother or father must receive proper dosages. If you have proof that your elderly loved one is receiving too much or too little medication, you may also have evidence of health care fraud.
Insufficient staff
Caring for aging individuals often requires many different health care professionals. If the nursing home does not have sufficient staff, your loved one may not receive even basic care. While this is an indicator of health care fraud, it may also lead to nursing home abuse or neglect.
Billing anomalies
For a variety of reasons, nursing home administrators are good at issuing invoices for facility services. If you notice billing anomalies, health care fraud may be to blame. Unfortunately, if an administrator is billing for unprovided or duplicate services, your mother or father may also be the victim of nursing home abuse.
Health care fraud is a serious matter on its own. While you want to protect your loved one’s financial interests, you also must worry about his or her overall care. If you notice the signs of health care fraud, you should probably investigate whether nursing home abuse is also happening.
