Working in the medical field can come with many stress factors and expectations. You certainly want to ensure that you perform the duties of your profession to the best of your ability in the hope of helping your patients. At the same time, however, you may also struggle to meet certain expectations when it comes to following particular standards. You may easily find yourself working to determine what course of action may best suit a situation and wonder what impact it could have on you.
You likely have fears of accusations relating to medical malpractice, but you could also find yourself accused of fraud. Fraudulent prescriptions for medical devices may come in as a specific issue in your line of work.
Medical device fraud
As part of your job, you may have to prescribe medical devices to your patients in order to attend to their medical conditions. More than likely, you have many devices from which to choose. The choices you make could have lasting affects for your patients.
Problems may arise because some device manufacturers could potentially approach doctors like you and other medical professionals and ask that they show particular favor toward a certain device. By either spreading the word or using the device, you could potentially gain some sort of incentive from the manufacturer. Typically, device companies will provide monetary kickbacks to doctors who follow through with such actions.
If you, as a medical professional, choose to participate in such actions for self-gain rather than working in the best interest of your patients, you may stand accused of committing fraud.
Recognizing fraud
Some individuals, especially new doctors, or those who may believe they are working in the best interests of their patients, may fall victim to committing fraudulent acts without fully recognizing it as fraud. In attempts to avoid such activity, many hospitals choose to implement compliance programs that help individuals to better spot when such actions may be occurring.
Additionally, if you or another medical professional falls under suspicion for such activity, the hospital for which you work may have its own disciplinary actions that you may face. These actions could have considerable effects on your career and personal standing.
Of course, medical device fraud also falls into the category of white-collar crime. Therefore, if someone suspects that you have committed such fraud, you could face criminal charges. In such an event, you may wish to find out more information on how you could potentially combat such allegations in order to hopefully clear your name and protect your career.