CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — Chesterfield resident Patty Heidelmark makes an effort to review all her Medicare statements when they arrive in the mail.
In fact, she enjoys it.
"This just became fun for me, which sounds bizarre, but to go through stuff like this and go, 'No, that's not me,'" Heidelmark said.
That's how she caught some recent suspicious charges on her account.
"So, that was a red flag," Heidelmark said.
According to her Medicare insurance documents, a company named Flexcare Medical Solution out of Florida billed a total of $12,000 for catheters.
But Heidelmark said she does not use catheters, never ordered them, and never received them.
CBS 6 attempted to reach Flexcare for comment, but calls to a listed phone number did not go through.
"Why are they charging me a catheter for July, August, September, October, November? I was like, I didn't have a catheter," Heidelmark said.
She reached out to CBS 6, along with several other viewers, after we aired a story about Maureen Patton's billing concerns last week. Patton said a company out of Colorado, Centennial Med Supply, billed her Medicare insurance for unwanted catheters.
Watch: $15,000 in medical supplies appeared on her Medicare account. She never ordered them.
"I saw pages and pages of expenses that totaled over $15,000," Patton said.
In both cases, the suspicious claims were "approved," and a majority of the cost was "paid" by Medicare, according to their statements.
“They should be ashamed that they were not taking care of government's money," Patton said. "There must be something lackadaisical in their business.”
"It should be caught right away when a billing is done. There should be a billing department that takes a look at things and goes, 'Oh, that's kind of odd, given this woman's history. She's never had that before. Why is she all of a sudden being charged that?'" Heidelmark said.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said generally that just because something is marked as "payable" on documentation does not mean the funds will actually be paid. CMS said that could happen when a provider is under investigation and has their payments suspended.
According to a 2025 federal inspector general report, Medicare potentially made over $35 million in improper payments for supplies like catheters from 2014 to 2021. Specifically, it found peoples' medical records did not support eligibility for catheters, and the providers "did not meet Medicare requirements for catheter refills, proof of delivery, or a standard written order."
Further, the audit found the number of claims for catheters submitted by providers significantly increased after the inspector general's review period.
In a statement to CBS 6, CMS said it routinely monitors billing patterns to identify suspicious activity and when concerns arise, they take actions such as suspending payments, revoking billing privileges, and making referrals to law enforcement.
Heidelmark said she reported the questionable charges on her statement to Medicare and encourages others to do the same.
"I want them to go ahead and call Medicare and file a claim, because if you're silent, this isn't going to stop. People have to be more aware of the bills that receive, the statements that they receive, and take action on them," Heidelmark said.
If something does not look right on your bill, you are encouraged to call 1-800-MEDICARE.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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