Attorney General Eric Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said federal authorities are carrying out the largest healthcare fraud takedown ever, with 94 defendants charged in Miami; Baton Rouge, La.; New York; Detroit; and Houston.
The announcement was delivered Friday at a healthcare fraud summit in Miami, the first in a series of events to be held across the country to discuss ways to stem a persistent drain on the system, bringing together federal, state and local authorities, as well as patients, providers and consumer advocates.
Also in conjunction with the Miami summit, HHS announced that Florida has been granted a Medicaid waiver that will help fund a demonstration program in which the state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will mine claims data for patterns that suggest scams. Federal rules currently prohibit Medicaid Fraud Control Units from using federal matching funds in such efforts.
As of this morning hundreds of agents had arrested 36 alleged participants in schemes involving more than $250 million in fraudulent claims, the Justice Department said. The defendants run the gamut of healthcare players, including physicians, medical assistants and owners of companies.
The range of allegations fits the general profile of criminal healthcare fraud that has been rampant for years in South Florida and is spreading to other parts of the country, with beneficiaries getting cash kickbacks for their Medicare numbers and scammers submitting phony claims for HIV infusion services, home healthcare, physical therapy and durable medical equipment.
The government plans to hold additional healthcare fraud summits in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit, Boston, New York and Philadelphia.
