Healthcare Fraud and Government Intervention
As many Americans see news stories of massive, multi-million dollar healthcare fraud cases, they often do not get to see all of the people helping to make these cases public. In particular, some of these cases begin with a qui tam lawsuit. These legal actions – based on a whistleblower coming forward in a lawsuit to help the government with proof of fraud – can then be reinforced by the investigative and legal power of the Department of Justice.
For more information regarding your legal rights and options as a whistleblower, contact the qui tam attorneys of Tycko & Zavareei, LLP, by calling 202-973-0900 today.
What is HEAT?
A major point repeatedly brought up in healthcare reform debates was the massive sums of money lost every year in government healthcare fraud. To further assist existing government agencies working to prosecute those committing fraudulent transactions, a special Department of Justice group known as the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team was created in May of 2009. Since then, HEAT, as it is known, has contributed to the following results in 2009 alone:
- 886 new fraud investigations
- 800 total fraud defendants
- 583 fraud convictions
- $2.5 billion in fraud recovery funds
The special task force proved itself so useful within this first year of action that it is expected to receive an increased budget in 2011. With these sorts of specialized tools at the government’s disposal, many whistleblowers may be able to receive additional help if their cases are taken up by the Department of Justice.
Contact Us
While the federal government can press its own cases against fraudulent healthcare providers, these federal task forces are helped to an immense degree by whistleblower actions that begin as qui tam suits. If you have information regarding a possible fraudulent action tied to a government contract or program, contact the qui tam lawyers of Tycko & Zavareei, LLP, at 202-973-0900 today.
