Scammers may offer you cardiac genetic testing in order to obtain your Medicare information for fraudulent billing purposes or possibly medical identity theft.
Don’t fall for it.
Remember:
- Only give your Medicare number to trusted providers
- Do not accept a genetic test kit from cold call or robo-call
Download our Cardiac Genetic Testing Fraud Alert. Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog and Armenian. Russian and Farsi coming soon.
Here are some additional tips to stop cardiovascular genetic testing fraud:
- Be sure your doctor has assessed your condition. Although Medicare covers many genetic tests to detect heart disease, these tests do not predict or screen for cardiovascular disease (aka the diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels).
- Do not give out your personal information to anyone who calls you and claims that your cardiologist has requested cardiovascular testing.
- Do not give out your personal information or accept screening services from anyone at a community event, local fair, farmers’ market, parking lot, or any other public event.
- Always read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) or Explanation of Benefits (EOB). The words “gene analysis,” “molecular pathology,” or “laboratory” may indicate questionable genetic testing has occurred.
If you received a cardiovascular genetic testing kit or test that was not medically necessary, report your concerns about billing errors or possible fraud and abuse to our California SMP at 1-855-613-7080. SMP is here to help!
