Health Law Attorney BlogNew Report Highlights Federal Efforts to Fight Health Care Fraud
This month, the Office of Inspector General published its report of the activities and results of the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program for 2009. A few highlights from the report include:
- 1014 new criminal health care investigations opened,
- 583 fraud-related convictions concluded, and
- $1.63 billion in judgments and settlements–a figure that doesn’t include state or joint federal-state recoveries.
Yesterday, Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice issued a press release focusing on the new tools for fighting fraud that are contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). They conclude that the OIG’s report shows “significant progress” in fighting fraud.
“Criminals have concluded that health care fraud is a safe bet. It is imperative that we change the calculus,” said Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. “With the expanded resources and enforcement tools provided in the Affordable Care Act, OIG and its partners will be bringing the fight to the criminals to prevent, detect, and swiftly punish those who steal from taxpayers and abuse the public trust.”
For more information on fraud and abuse, please contact Adrienne Dresevic, Esq. or Robert S. Iwrey, Esq. at (248) 996-8510.