By Frank Goldstein, founder and managing partner of Goldstein Law Group
I’ll be spending time in Orlando this week for a pair of insurance fraud presentations.
First up will be IASIU 2015 – the annual conference of the International Association of Special Investigation Units for a presentation on the relationships – past and current – between Florida’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) and insurance carriers. The presentation is titled: “Separate, But Equal…Understanding and Maximizing the Relationship Between the Department of Financial Services and Insurance Companies.”
I’ll be joined by DFS Captain Steve Smith and Howard Pohl, attorney for the Division of Insurance Fraud – DFS’ law enforcement arm. We’ll cover how best to maximize relationships to better ensure solid arrests and strengthened prosecution, as well as ways to partner with insurance companies and their counsel in order to optimize investigations and civil recoveries.
The presentation is designed to be a beneficial primer on how to share information and cooperate during investigations without stepping on each other’s toes…or impinging on respective areas of responsibility.
The very next day, it’ll be off to the Medical Claims Defense Network (MCDN) conference, which also happens to be in Orlando. It’s been my privilege to serve on MCDN’s board for many years – more than 10 now…and counting!
For MCDN’s membership we’ll examine straw ownership and its impact on legitimate medical facilities. In effect, “straw” ownership is a way to conceal fraudulent medical clinic operators through false “store front” clinics that bilk insurance carriers through staged injury claims. Certainly not a new concept, but one that appears to be growing…and costing consumers millions of dollars.
I will be joined for this seminar by Carol LaDuke of Allstate. We’ve titled it: “Weaving Straw Into Gold-Discovery of Straw Owned Clinics-It’s Not As Scary As You Think.”
Through educational outreach initiatives such as these, we help raise awareness about the types of fraudulent activities industries and insurance investigators can expect to encounter…and show how to combat them. In the long run, that’s a win-win for everyone.
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