Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will receive the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s top Award for Excellence in Fighting Fraud, Waste and Abuse. The HHS OIG nominated Attorney General Bondi’s MFCU for the top award because of the Unit’s success fighting Medicaid fraud and recovering millions of dollars in lost funds. HHS selected Florida MFCU for the top honor from 50 units nationwide. A report released earlier this year, highlighted more than $165 million in total recoveries obtained by the Florida MFCU during the 2016 Fiscal Year, the second highest in the nation.
“This national award highlights the tireless efforts of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigators to stop fraud and recover funds for taxpayers. Since taking office, we have recovered more than $689 million in stolen Medicaid funds through settlements and judgments,” said Attorney General Bondi. “This award sends a strong message, that anyone stealing Medicaid funds in Florida will be arrested and prosecuted.”
Attorney General Bondi’s MFCU is also being recognized for great collaboration with HHS and other federal agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Last year, working with HHS, FBI, U.S. Department of Justice and additional federal and state law enforcement agencies, MFCU helped execute the largest Medicare and Medicaid fraud takedown in United States history. As part of this coordinated takedown, MFCU charged six individuals involved in schemes causing more than $17 million in fraudulent billings. In total the joint investigation identified more than $200 million in fraud resulting in more than 100 arrests in Florida.
MFCU continues to work with federal partners to recover stolen Medicaid funds and prevent millions of dollars in potential future fraud. In 2011, HHS certified the Florida MFCU as the first unit in the country with the authority to conduct data mining to find and stop Medicaid fraud. Now, the Florida MFCU is one of only nine units in the country with OIG approval to data mine billing practices of Medicaid providers, such as hospitals, doctors and pharmacies.
The HHS will present the Attorney General’s MFCU with the award on June 12 at the 2017 Honor Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C.
Each year HHS OIG publishes a report highlighting statistical data of all Medicaid Fraud Control Units nationwide for the preceding federal fiscal year. To view the latest report, click here.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From Jan. 2011 to the present, Attorney General Bondi’s MFCU has obtained more than $689 million in settlements and judgments. Additionally, the MFCU investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program.
