WASHINGTON, Jun 13, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Healthcare experts say the
simplicity of defrauding the U.S. Medicare program points to the need for more
resources devoted to prevent fraud.
One issue is that Medicare doesn't review the majority of the bills it pays to
companies with federally issued supplier numbers, The Washington Post said
Friday.
Checks are in place more to detect overbilling and unconventional medical
treatment than fraud, officials said.
Law enforcement officials estimate healthcare fraud costs taxpayers more than
$60 billion annually.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees federally-funded
health programs, said it's instituted several new measures to combat fraud. The
efforts include working more closely with investigators, removing the mandatory
billing numbers of nearly 900 companies and imposing new standards in areas of
high fraud that prevent convicted felons from receiving a Medicare number.
In the Miami area, the U.S. Justice Department created a strike force that works
with a small number of U.S. attorneys. The joint effort during the past year
opened almost 900 criminal investigations and convicted 560 defendants in
healthcare fraud offenses throughout the country, the Post said.
The strike force recently established a base in Los Angeles and plans call for
similar operations in Houston soon.
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Copyright 2008 by United Press International