“If you can get a saliva swab and a Medicare number from an unsuspecting senior and falsify a doctor’s order, there’s an easy four-figure sum to be had.”

ALEX HOGAN/STAT

by Bob Thomas

“When technology or insurance coverage determinations evolve, so do the opportunities for mischief. That’s what my colleagues and I have been seeing in the genetic testing space.

“Genetic testing, whether it’s for ancestral research or assessing disease risk, is an extraordinary tool made possible by advances in science, computing capacity, and the sequencing of the human genome. What was inconceivable 25 years ago can now be accomplished with a saliva sample, some mostly automated laboratory tools, focused computing power, and specialized expertise in the identification of the genetic mutations. The cost of genetic testing for disease assessment can be as high as $10,000.

“With that kind of money in play, opportunists see an opening.”

Read this article in its entirety here; find out about the possibilities for fraud.