Corporate Compliance

DOJ, HHS announce efforts to enhance prevention of healthcare fraud

Compliance Monitor, April 11, 2012

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder announced the implementation of new tools designed to prevent healthcare fraud, according to a April 4 Department of Justice press release.

Sebelius and Holder made the announcement in Chicago during the seventh regional healthcare fraud prevention summit hosted by the Department of Justice and HHS on April 6. Among the new provisions:

  • Conviction stemming from healthcare fraud related crimes in excess of $1 million results in 20-50% longer sentences
  • Waste, fraud, and abuse monitoring will expand to Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D programs
  • Increased information sharing between government agencies (such as CMS, OIG, DOJ) to support collaborative efforts to prevent the disbursement of fraudulent payouts

Current anti-fraud efforts resulted in the recovery of more than $4 billion for fiscal year 2011.

Read more on the Department of Justice website.

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