Healthcare fraud prosecutions accelerate in FY 2011

New statistics released by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) show the rate of federal prosecutions for healthcare fraud during the first eight months of 2011 is up 85 percent over the previous year.

The government has reported 903 healthcare fraud prosecutions so far this year, which is a 24 percent increase over the total for all of 2010 (731 prosecutions).

“The higher numbers can be accounted for by a series of FBI investigations,” according to TRAC. “In Puerto Rico alone, 420 defendants have been charged this year. Within the fifty states, the Southern District of Florida (Miami) led the nation in activity, accounting for one out of every nine healthcare fraud prosecutions.”

The results from TRAC show a large spike in the projected number of prosecutions during 2011 as compared to prior years dating back to the President George Bush Sr. administration. Recent government initiatives, such as healthcare reform and Medicare Fraud HEAT Task Force operations, have placed an increased emphasis on cracking down on criminal healthcare activity.

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Health care fraud prosecutions on pace to rise 85%