Special report: Homegrown fraud task forces open up new avenues for collaboration

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Recognizing that collaboration is a key element to fraud detection, prevention and enforcement, several states are moving toward homegrown task forces aimed at bringing together multiple state agencies to focus on specific fraud, waste and abuse concerns.

The organization and oversight of those task forces can vary. Some, like Illinois, are formalized through an executive order. Others, like Kentucky, are less formal, consisting of an agreement between two United States Attorneys and several other state agencies.

But an examination of state task forces by FierceHealthPayer: Antifraud found that the opportunity to collaborate with other state agencies is the simple, driving force behind each one.

“It certainly has created a collaborative atmosphere around healthcare fraud in Kentucky that probably didn’t exist to this extent before,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky Kerry Harvey said in an exclusive interview with FierceHealthPayer: Antifraud. Since 2010, Harvey and his counterpart in the Western District have orchestrated a biannual meeting with state agencies to focus specifically on healthcare fraud.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s been one of the more beneficial outreach programs we’ve done,” he said.

Follow the links below to read the latest on state fraud task forces, including how they foster collaboration and data-sharing.