Government agency urges citizens to report fraud and abuse
Healthcare Auditing Weekly, April 7, 2009
In a March 30 press release, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) urged private citizens to take advantage of FraudNet—an e-mail, phone, and fax hotline that processes allegations about federal agencies and federally-funded programs.
This call for action comes in light of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which is releasing billions of dollars to invest in job creation, infrastructure investments, electronic health record implementation, and heightened healthcare law enforcement.
Past experience shows this type of large financial distribution comes with increased risk of fraud and abuse, Acting Comptroller General of the U.S. and head of the GAO, Gene L. Dodaro said in the press release.
The GAO established FraudNet in 1979 as a toll free number, and has expanded it, in the past few years, to include Web, fax, and letter options. FraudNet allows citizens to provide tips and information anonymously—the GAO treats all inquiries confidentially, the press release stated.
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