Health Care Fraud Prosecutions Continue to Rise

Statistics recently released by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a Syracuse University Research organization, show a marked increase in federal health care fraud prosecutions. The statistics show 903 federal prosecutions for health care fraud through the first eight months of 2011, compared to 731 such prosecutions for all of 2010.

In addition to the increase in prosecutions, the federal government has also seen an increase in convictions for such fraud. Through the end of August, there have been 24 convictions, compared with 23 such convictions for all of 2010.

The increases in prosecutions and convictions come on the heels of the federal government’s increased enforcement efforts. In February, the government added to health care fraud teams, which, in turn, has led to an elevated level of regulatory enforcement activity. These statistics bear out the advice that we have been delivering to clients, namely that the health care enforcement landscape is evolving and thus it is even more imperative to ensure that providers take pro-active steps to mitigate the likelihood that they will become subjects of the government’s more robust initiatives to prevent health care fraud.

For more information regarding healthcare litigation and how to avoid becoming a government target, please contact Robert S. Iwrey, Esq. or Alan G. Gilchrist, Esq., for more information regarding healthcare fraud and abuse and how to properly structure business ventures, please contact Adrienne Dresevic, Esq., Carey F. Kalmowitz, Esq. or Esq., and for information regarding healthcare compliance, please contact Abby Pendleton, Esq. at (212) 734-0128 or at (248) 996-8510 or visit the HLP website.