Transcript for audio podcast:
2014 Year in Review OIG Update
From the Office of Inspector General of Department of Health and Human Services
Welcome to the Office of Inspector General's 2014 in Review, a look back at OIG highlights of our continuing battle against fraud, waste and abuse in Department of Health and Human Services programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
OIG reported nearly $5 billion dollars in expected recoveries in fiscal 2014. The recoveries resulted from program audits and investigations.
And OIG reported 971 actions against individuals or entities that engaged in crimes against HHS programs as well as 533 civil actions during the fiscal year.
Medicare Strike Force efforts by OIG and our partners at the Department of Justice resulted in the filing of charges in 232 criminal actions.
And six OIG Most Wanted fugitives were captured during the year.
OIG excluded from participation in federal healthcare programs more than 4,000 individuals and entities during 2014. Among them was pediatric dental management chain CSHM, for "repeated and flagrant violations" that put kids at risk.
Promoting healthcare compliance, OIG negotiated more than 40 corporate integrity agreements, among them one with the Extendicare nursing home chain that alleged "effectively worthless care." Extendicare agreed to pay $38 million dollars.
OIG found that, after health insurance marketplaces first opened, they faced major challenges with inconsistencies in applicant data.
And OIG's report, Access to Care: Provider Availability in Medicaid Managed Care, found that slightly more than half of Medicaid managed care providers could not offer appointments to enrollees.
"Hospitals should be required to perform random drug tests on all health care workers with access to drugs." That was the message from an op-ed piece by IG Dan Levinson and Special Agent Erika T. Broadhurst, published in the New York Times.
OIG testified at 10 hearings on Capitol Hill in 2014. You can read that testimony on our website.
In an effort to provide important information about OIG's work, more than 35 podcasts were added to our website in 2014.
Join OIG in its fight against healthcare fraud, waste and abuse -- watch the Report Fraud video - our most viewed in 2014 -- on our YouTube site: #OIGin2014
This is Mike Kane, inviting you to follow us during 2015 on our website (oig.hhs.gov) and on Twitter (@OIGatHHS).
Thanks for listening.
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