Falsified prescriptions, excessive supplies, and scooter scams are fraud schemes commonly involving which health care entity?

• A. Hospitals
• B. Out-patient services groups
• C. Special care facilities
• D. Reusable medical equipment suppliers

Answer: (D)

Durable medical equipment suppliers are commonly involved in fraud schemes like falsified prescriptions, excessive supplies, and scooter scams because they handle high-cost, billable devices that are frequently reimbursed by government programs. When a falsified prescription is used, a supplier can claim reimbursement for durable medical equipment—sometimes for items never provided or for more items than prescribed. Scooters and power wheelchairs especially attract fraudsters due to their high cost and the way they’re billed, often with less immediate clinical oversight. The combination of fake prescriptions, inflated quantities, and expensive devices creates fertile ground for this type of abuse within DME providers. Other settings can see fraud too, but the described patterns align most closely with the practices of reusable medical equipment suppliers.