Fraudulent and Unethical Practices in Healthcare
A role that all nurse practitioners should take seriously is advocating and protecting our patients from harm. You may witness practices that are unethical or illegal in your healthcare career. Reporting these behaviors takes moral courage.
Discuss the following:
What is whistleblowing?
Are there requirements that need to be met to report waste, fraud, or abuse?
What happens to the whistleblower? Can they be prosecuted if they are incorrect or their reports cannot be proven?
Choose one case of whistleblowing in health care and discuss the unethical or illegal practices involved.
Respond to two peers and discuss how you can identify, report, and prevent fraud, abuse, and waste in your future practice as a provider. This can be related to billing practices, law violations (i.e., Stark Law, anti-kickback, fee splitting, etc.), or violations of patients’ rights.