HEAT Task Force Success
| Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT)In May 2009, DOJ and HHS announced the creation of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT). With the creation of the new HEAT team the fight against Medicare fraud has become a Cabinet-level priority. Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder pledge to continue fighting waste, fraud and abuse. As of today, DOJ and HHS continue to make progress and succeed in the fight against Medicare fraud. |
Mission of HEAT
- To gather resources across government to help prevent waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, and crack down on the fraud perpetrators who are abusing the system and costing us all billions of dollars.
- To reduce skyrocketing health care costs and improve the quality of care by ridding the system of perpetrators who are preying on Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
- To highlight best practices by providers and public sector employees who are dedicated to ending waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare.
- To build upon existing partnerships between the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services such as our Medicare Fraud Strike Forces to reduce fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.
Medicare Fraud Strike Force Expansion
The joint DOJ-HHS Medicare Fraud Strike Force is a multi-agency team of federal, state and local investigators designed to combat Medicare fraud through the use of Medicare data analysis techniques and an increased focus on community policing.
Actions taken
- Expansion of the Department of Justice, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and HHS Inspector General's Medicare Fraud Strike Forces to Baton Rouge, Brooklyn, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami-Dade, Tampa Bay, Dallas and Chicago.
- Use of new state-of-the-art technology to fight fraud. Investigators in the HHS Office of the Inspector General are implementing state-of-the-art, cutting edge technology to identify and analyze potential fraud with unprecedented speed and efficiency.
- Commitment to expanded data sharing and improved information sharing procedures between HHS and DOJ in order to get critical data and information into the hands of law enforcement to track patterns of fraud and abuse.
- President's 2010 budget for HHS contains funding for anti-fraud efforts covering a five year period that is estimated to save $2.7 billion by improving overall oversight and stopping fraud and abuse within the Medicare Advantage and Medicare prescription drug programs. It also invests $311 million to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid program integrity.
- Outreach meetings with top anti-fraud leaders in congress, law enforcement, health care providers and the private sector
- New funding for and expanded use of Medicare Drug Integrity contractors to monitor Medicare Parts C & D compliance and enforcement.
- Expansion of the CMS Demonstration project on Durable Medical Equipment.
- Expansion of the CMS Medicaid provider audit program.
- Increased compliance training for providers.