Neil Getnick on NPR: Record Year for DOJ Health Care Fraud Prosecutions
According to an NPR report, 2011 was a record-breaking year for the prosecution of healthcare fraud. The Justice Department, which has been working to change the model for addressing healthcare fraud, pursued over one thousand new criminal prosecutions in the last year.
Sweeping Changes in Prosecuting Healthcare Fraud
Rather than the old “pay and chase” model, attempting to get the money back when it’s already gone, the Department of Health and Human Services is attempting to detect healthcare fraud in real time and stop payments to violators.
One key piece of the Government’s proactive approach is the assistance of whistleblowers, who can bring cases to the government’s attention long before the fraud is apparent. Neil Getnick of Getnick & Getnick LLP stated that the goal of such cases is to reform the way the industry does business going forward; he predicts many more prosecutions and large settlements in the new year.
Read the entire report, “All Things Considered: DOJ Posts Record For Health Care Fraud Cases”