Questionable medical claims referred to the National Insurance Crime Bureau totaled 28,553 in 2009, a 10 percent increase over the 25,945 claims reported in 2008.
The NICB report examines suspected fraudulent medical claims referred to the Des Plaines, Ill.-based company by its member companies.
The top five states producing questionable claims are Florida, California, New York, Texas and Illinois. The top five cities are New York, Tampa, Miami, Los Angeles and Houston.
Bodily injury was the largest "loss type" category in 2009 with 12,838 claims, or 45 percent of the total, followed by personal injury protection with 4,636 claims, or 16 percent. As for policy type, personal auto accounted for 20,147 claims, or 71 percent of the total.
"Suspicious claims related to medical fraud accounted for about a third of all the questionable claims we received from our member companies in 2009, and that number is growing this year," said NICB President and CEO Joe Wehrle. "If the current pace that we've seen during the first half of 2010 continues, we will see a 13 percent increase in questionable medical claims this year vs. 2009."
NICB officials blame the increase on criminal rings stepping up efforts to steal money from insurance companies and their customers.
"The NICB's task force approach with insurance company investigators, law enforcement and prosecutors has made everyone much more aware of these kinds of medical fraud schemes," said Wehrle. "As a result, we are seeing more scrutiny of claims by insurers and a concerted effort to go after the people involved in this kind of fraud."
Due to the increase in medical fraud, the NICB recently opened its sixth major medical fraud task force, in Tampa, and will soon be adding a seventh to cover the New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware region.