Medicare Fraud Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Medicare Fraud - Essay Example As a problem of major concern, Medicare fraud needs a qualitative and quantitative investigation approach. Thus, a mixed method study will effectively evaluate the extent of Medicare fraud and the factors that contribute to Medicare fraud. This draft proposal outlines strategies that can be used to evaluate the problem and possible solutions through a mixed method approach. Problem Statement Medicare fraud is one of the overarching problems in the healthcare industry resulting in losses of billions of dollars each year. It is actually claimed, â€Å"Medicare fraud costs the U.S. government approximately $80 billion a year (Stefanacci, 2010). Through quantitative approach, the researcher will be required to estimate the loss of revenue through Medicare fraud. Secondly, the researcher will be required to establish variation of involvement in Medicare fraud across different societies. The quantitative aspect of the study will establish the reasons or the social factors that contribute to Medicare fraud. Patterns of fraud cases across different population settings will also be interesting aspect of the research. Finally, the study will require establishing how medical and legal professionals contribute to Medicare fraud and d the factors that contribute to the involvement. ... What are the views of the people concerning the criminalization of Medicare fraud? (a) Do people consider Medicare fraud as a criminal activity? (b) Do people blame the authority for their misfortunes? 5. What is the role of medical and legal professionals in Medicare Fraud? Research Design The study will be conducted through a mixed method approach whereby the researcher will be interested in quantifying and interpreting different parameters related to Medicare fraud (Creswell, 2008). Choice for mixed methods was inspired by the nature of the problem and the expectations of the audience. For instance, the audience is interested in determining the extent of the problem and the factors that contribute to the problem. In addition, the researcher will be required to develop an explicit mathematical model that defines the relationship between various research parameters such as level of income and Medicare fraud. The qualitative aspect of the study will involve observing the problem and finding relevant literature that correspond to the research problem (Creswell, 2008). On the other hand, the quantitative approach will enable the researcher to quantify different research parameters. Population and Participants From an ideal point of view, healthcare industry needs a near-perfect system of tracking Medicare fraud for there to be meaningful results. Fraud in healthcare industry affects all taxpayers. The problem has also affected other sectors of the economy making it an overall economical problem. The problem becomes even more complicated due to lack of harmonized reimbursement formulas and implementation of information in the healthcare sector (Krause, 2010). The study will attract two sets of population. Firstly, the