Healthcare fraud cases rise 30 percent

While the federal False Claims Act was written to address a broad range of fraudulent activities, healthcare fraud continues to be the main target for enforcement according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Justice. And the DoJ only expects to get tougher on healthcare providers in the future, with healthcare fraud a "top priority" for the coming year, officials say.

For the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, healthcare settlements and judgments added up to $1.6 billion, $867 million of which came from settlements with the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

That's about two-thirds of the total $2.4 billion the government recovered under the Act, which gives the it the ability to prosecute fraud in billing any government program. What's more, the healthcare number isn't just the lion's share of recoveries this year, it's 30 percent higher than the $1.12 billion healthcare fraud cases generated for the last fiscal year.

To learn more about healthcare recoveries under the False Claims Act:
- read this American Medical News piece

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