The beginning of the New Year is a popular time for new initiatives. Many healthcare organizations are looking for ways to improve quality and reduce risk. A compliance program is an effective way to detect, deter and prevent wrongdoing in the healthcare setting and an ongoing system assures conformity with governing laws and regulations. An
Having a compliance program in place is a start but having an effective compliance program is the goal. Proactively assessing the effectiveness of one’s own compliance program is better than the Department of Justice making a determination of the adequacy as a result of an investigation for alleged misconduct. To set benchmarks for an effective
On September 9, 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates released a policy memorandum, titled “Individual Accountability for Corporate Wrongdoing,” also known as the “Yates Memo.” To read the full contents of the Yates Memo, click here. Essentially, the Yates Memo shifts the DOJ’s approach to fighting corporate fraud and misconduct
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for protecting the integrity of the programs in Health and Human Services against fraud, waste and abuse as well as recommending improvements to the system that would promote efficiency and efficacy within the limits of the health care laws. Although OIG oversight includes programs such as
Health care fraud recoveries for fiscal years 2009- 2014 exceeded previous records with five straight years of more than $2 billion in annual recovery from cases involving fraud and false claims against federal health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Most healthcare providers are aware of significant civil liability due to recent enforcement. However,
The whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act have lead to several newsworthy cases in recent years. Just a few days ago, the Justice Department announced that KMART Corporation (Kmart) will pay $1.4 Million to resolve False Claims Act allegations for knowingly providing coupons to Medicare beneficiaries to waive or reduce co-pays for purchasing more
