Prosecutors Target Health Care Fraud

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The top federal prosecutors from South Dakota and North Dakota say they have increased their efforts to fight health care fraud.

U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson of South Dakota said he has restructured his office to allow lawyers in the criminal and civil divisions to devote “significant time” to investigating medical fraud. He predicted it will be among the fastest-growing area of criminal investigation and wants his office to be in position to pursue increasing “complex and egregious” cases.

“My advice to the medical community is to stay away from gray areas or outright fraud that wastes tax dollars, because we will be watching,” Johnson told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader (http://argusne.ws/1rV6HAM ). “The end result in many of these cases will be that the taxpayers get their money back with interest and penalties, and the medical professional loses their license.”

“For us, it’s the issue of time and expense,” she said.

In the Sanford case, a whistleblower accused the doctors of defrauding federal health care programs. A person who has knowledge of fraud can sue on behalf of the federal government to recover money under the Federal False Claims Act, said Monica Navarro, a professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan and an expert in so-called “qui tam” lawsuits.

Click here to view original web page at www.google.com

Tags: featured, full-image

Category: Articles