What describes a rent-a-patient scheme?

A rent-a-patient scheme is characterized by the practice of paying individuals to undergo unnecessary medical procedures, which is the essence of option B. This fraudulent scheme typically involves healthcare providers who, in an effort to bill insurance companies for services that were not genuinely needed, recruit temporary patients. These patients, often compensated for their participation, undergo procedures that may not be medically necessary, allowing the providers to submit claims for reimbursement that are inflated or fraudulent in nature.

In this context, the focus is on exploiting the healthcare system to generate profit through deceitful means, rather than providing legitimate medical care. This not only misleads insurers but can also compromise patient safety, highlighting the ethical concerns inherent in such schemes.

The other options, while related to healthcare fraud, do not accurately capture the specific nature of a rent-a-patient arrangement. For instance, billing for fictitious services involves submitting claims for procedures or services that never occurred, which, while fraudulent, is different from the concept of recruiting patients for unnecessary treatments. Inflating the cost of legitimate services pertains to overcharging for actual treatments, and billing for services not performed by licensed professionals relates to unauthorized practices. Each of these carries its own implications within the broader field of medical fraud but does not define the rent