Last year, HHS's inspector general's office collected $2.35 billion through legal judgments it obtained or agreements it struck after investigations, according to a new performance report from its office.

According to Inspector General Daniel Levinson, the IG's office was also indirectly responsible for an additional $1.33 billion in recoveries, which HHS collected after following up on the office's findings. All told, the IG's office generated $17 for every dollar in its budget, Levinson said in a letter introducing the report.

The IG's office pursued about 2,100 cases during 2008, in response to about 4,800 complaints, Levinson's report noted.

To learn more about the HHS IG's operations:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece [1]

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