The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina held its annual meeting of the Health Care Fraud Working Group in Charlotte, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. The group is a coalition of federal and state agencies working together to identify and address health care fraud within the district.
The Health Care Fraud Working Group includes investigators, analysts, auditors, and attorneys from several agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG), Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), North Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Investigations Division, and South Carolina Attorney General’s Medicaid Recipient Fraud Unit.
During the meeting, U.S. Attorney Ferguson acknowledged the efforts made by these partner agencies in bringing criminal charges and civil claims against those responsible for health care fraud in the region.
“Of the $5 trillion per year spent on healthcare in the United States, 45% is through government programs. That massive figure makes it hard to detect complex healthcare fraud; it simply cannot be done without strong partnerships and collaboration,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “But it is critical work—not just because we must protect taxpayer money, but because healthcare fraud increases medical costs and insurance premiums for everyone.”
The office encourages anyone who suspects Medicare or Medicaid fraud to report it by phone at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or online at https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/. Reports regarding Medicaid fraud in North Carolina can be made by calling 919-881-2320 or submitting an online complaint form. TRICARE fraud should be reported through contacts listed at https://tricare.mil/PatientResources/ContactUs/ReportFraudAbuse, while suspected fraud involving the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system can be reported at www.vaoig.gov/hotline.
