What role did international call centres play in the US health fraud?

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International Call Centres Were Key to Luring Patients into US$1 Billion Healthcare Fraud Scheme

International telemarketing networks, specifically call centres located in the Philippines and Latin America, played a central role in the alleged US$1 billion healthcare fraud scheme. These operations were instrumental in reaching hundreds of thousands of patients, primarily elderly and/or disabled individuals enrolled in Medicare, to ensnare them in the fraudulent provision of unnecessary medical braces. The Department of Justice stated that these call centres were the primary mechanism for contacting and recruiting patients into the scheme.
Outreach to Medicare Beneficiaries

The telemarketing call centres, based in the Philippines and Latin America, were used to contact a vast number of Medicare beneficiaries. This outreach was specifically targeted at individuals who were elderly or disabled, populations that are typically covered by the Medicare public insurance system. Through these international networks, the scheme successfully reached hundreds of thousands of potential victims across the United States.
Facilitating the Prescription of Unnecessary Braces

By employing these international call centres, the defendants were able to circumvent direct patient interaction and establish a fraudulent system for medical equipment. The Department of Justice indicated that these call centres were used to lure patients into the scheme, after which doctors were allegedly paid to prescribe braces without even meeting the patients. This method allowed the scheme to operate on a large scale, processing claims for devices that were not medically required by the recipients.

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What role did international call centres play in the US health fraud?

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