• ​Giving false or misleading information that benefits the health provider or service but increases consumer costs.
  
• Billing for Medicare or Medicaid services, medicine, equipment or supplies not prescribed, not provided or not needed.
  
• Offering cash, free services, or gift rewards to influence use of a particular doctor, insurance plan, HMO, home health agency, nursing home or other medical services.
  
• Providing care or service that is below accepted standards.
  
• Stopping insurance coverage or ending services without prior notice or reasonable cause.
  

• Medicare beneficiaries can monitor their insurance statements to make sure products and services received match what is on the statements. They can request free My Health Care Trackers from their local SMP.
• Caregivers can help by being on the lookout for items such as durable medical equipment (like boxes of knee braces) lying around the house that may have been shipped to the beneficiary without their or their doctor’s approval. They can remind their client or loved one to never give out their Medicare number or other personal information over the phone.
• Families can help by talking to their loved ones about protecting their Medicare number just as they would a credit card number. They can help their loved ones create a Medicare.gov account to access their Medicare statements online or remind them to open and review them when they come in the mail. They can also register their phone number on “do not call” lists and go to optoutprescreen.com to opt out of mailings.
• Partners and professionals can help by sharing SMP information on social media, referring clients and consumers to the SMP, and inviting the SMP to speak during a shared event. 
• Health care providers can help by talking to patients about health care-related scams such as those related to durable medical equipment and genetic testing schemes. They can remind them that products and services should only be ordered by physicians they regularly see. Needed medical items should never be ordered through TV ads or unsolicited calls.
• Community members can help by looking out for older neighbors. When in public, they can be aware of older individuals purchasing gift cards in large amounts. They can encourage those they know to talk to a trusted source about their Medicare questions and tell neighbors about the most recent Medicare scams. They can even consider volunteering with the local SMP.
  

• Maryland Trained SMP volunteers who provide free, confidential assistance to senior Medicare and Medicaid consumers to help them learn about, identify and report health care fraud, waste, abuse or error.
  
• Individual counseling available in person or by phone.
  
• Home counseling visits for Medicare beneficiaries who are physically unable to visit a Maryland SMP service site.
  
• Community educational meetings to involve more seniors in the fight against health care fraud, waste, abuse or error.
  
• Access to information and services through an Internet Web site.
  

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Administration on Aging (AoA).
  
• Providers of services and durable medical equipment regional carriers.
  
• Federal, state and local agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General(HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI), the Department of Justice(DOJ), Office of the Attorney General(OAG), Department of Health and Mental Hygiene(DHMH), Area Agencies on Aging(AAA), and the local Sheriff Offices.
  
• Medicare and Medicaid Beneficiaries — this means YOU!

• Report suspected cases of fraud to Maryland SMP.
  
• Participate in Maryland SMP counseling and educational services.
  
• Become a Maryland SMP Volunteer
  
• Protect your Medicare and Medicaid information.
  
• Detect billing errors. 
• Report potential health care fraud, waste, abuse or error.
  

​Additional ​Resources:

Volunteer Opportunities

The SMP program offers volunteers an opportunity to make an important difference in their communities. Volunteers take pride in working to ensure that the Medicare program will be protected for future generations. 

What SMP Volunteers Do