2011 News Archive

HHS Office of the Inspector General Spotlight on Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities

September 7, 2011 - Two 2011 OIG reports, one on independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTF) in Miami and another report for Los Angeles, shed light on the persistent misuse and abuse of Medicare's coverage of IDTF services. Combined, the reports found that of 224 actively enrolled IDTFs in these two cities, 73 were not open during regular business hours at the location on file, as required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

• Read More on the OIG Independent Diagnostic Testing Facilities Investigation 

HHS Secretary Sebelius speaks at the Senior Medicare Patrol National Conference

August 9, 2011 - Secretary Kathleen Sebelius pays tribute to ongoing health care fraud prevention efforts that the Senior Medicare Patrol continues to implement.

• Read Secretary's Remarks

HHS Office of the Inspector General Spotlight on Medicare Hospice Care

July 19, 2011 - The goal of hospice care is to help terminally ill beneficiaries continue life with minimal disruption and to support beneficiaries' families and caregivers throughout the entire process. Clearly, this type of care is both important and personal, yet hospice care in the Medicare program does not escape the problems of fraud, waste, and abuse.

• Read More on the OIG Medicare Hospice Care Report
• Podcast: Medicare Hospices that Focus on Nursing Facility Residents

HHS Office of the Inspector General Spotlight on Power Wheelchairs

July 13, 2011 - Improper payments, waste, and fraud are all too common in Medicare payments for power wheelchairs. To delve deeper into this matter, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a series of reports examining Medicare wheelchair claims.

• Read More on the OIG Power Wheelchair Investigation 

Fighting Fraud Across the Country

February 17, 2011 - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice announce the expansion of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations to include two additional cities: Chicago and Dallas. With these new additions, there are now strike force teams in nine cities fighting health care fraud abuse.

• Read Press Release
• Read Secretary's Remarks
• Read Attorney General's Remarks