Medical Crimes in the Health Industry

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Ways in Which Medical Crimes Are Perpetrated
Vulnerability of the Government Healthcare Programs to Fraud
Vulnerability of healthcare seekers to medical crime
Medical crimes in mental illness
Nature of house nursing abuse
Conclusion
References

Introduction

The health care industry in the Unites states is worth trillions of dollars whereby it forms over 14% of the country’s Gross National Product (GNP). The magnitude of this industry makes it a fertile ground for many crimes to take place. For instance, frauds in the health care industry accounts for as much as 80 billion dollars per annum.

Ways in Which Medical Crimes Are Perpetrated

Medical crimes are committed in many dubious ways among them procurement of unnecessary medical equipment. This loophole is eminent in the elderly person’s healthcare programs in which there are no legislative controls to govern the equipment supply procedures. This leaves room for fraud to thrive in this sector without accountability being demanded. Double billing is another way that medical crime is being propagated in health care industry. Patients who have terminal ailments do not receive the medical bills from the hospital they were receiving their treatment from, but bills originate from individual caretakers. This hides the real cost of treatment and leaves room for double billing of the patients by unethical medical practitioners. Unnecessary treatment is another way that medical crimes are being committed in the healthcare industry. Health providers have been recorded to offer unnecessary treatment where it does not call for that particular kind of treatment. Healthcare providers are now asking for kickbacks which amount to bribery (Bucy, 2003).

Vulnerability of the Government Healthcare Programs to Fraud

The sheer size of the healthcare industry poses a lot of challenges. This makes it vulnerable to frauds. This is because the industry has such a long bureaucracy that makes the efficient management of the organization very complicated due to the decentralization processes. These call for the formulation of programs that will improve the industries’ integrity (Salinger, 2005).

Vulnerability of healthcare seekers to medical crime

The people who visit the healthcare facilities are more vulnerable to the medical crimes and more so, fraudulent crimes (Rosoff, 2009). Their vulnerability is acerbated by the fact that health care seekers have a medical problem that they have no ability to dictate its treatment procedures and need to get well as soon as possible. Health care providers take advantage of the desperate needs of a health care seeker to defraud them (King &Wheeler, 2006).

Medical crimes in mental illness

Mental illness is a complex topic that is not understood by many and thus most of the medical crimes that are committed in field go unnoticed. These crimes include the isolation of people suffering from mental ailments, locking them up in insane people asylums among others. The crimes that are committed in this area are unfairly justified that they are committed in the name of maintaining the tranquility of the public because an insane person is most likely to disturb the calmness at large. This is done at the expense of the ill person health status (Salinger, 2005).

Nature of house nursing abuse

House nursing is an important part of the health care industry. This is because it deals with the frail and weak members of the society who require personal attention. House nursing attendants are mandated to give undivided attention to their patients. However, this is not always the case. Most of the time, the elderly spend long hours in their own stool and urine. Such horrible incidences are occasioned by negligence from the nurses. This amounts to abuse (Nies & McEwen, 2001).

Conclusion

The healthcare industry has seen a lot of lapses in meeting its divine mandate of overseeing the good health. It has been tarnished by unethical practices that have fielded masses of medical crime. This is an injustice to the public and therefore, the industry regulators should come up with good controls that will oversee the redemption of its image.

References

Bucy , P., H. (2003). Health care fraud: enforcement and compliance. London: Law Journal Press.

King, T.,E. & Wheeler ,M., B.(2006).Medical management of vulnerable and underserved patients: principles, practice, and populations. McGraw-Hill Professional.

Nies, M., A. & McEwen ,M.(2001).Community health nursing: promoting the health of populations. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences

Rosoff, S. (2009). Profit without honor. New York: Prentice Hall.

Salinger ,L., M. (2005). Encyclopedia of white-collar & corporate crime. New York: Sage.

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