The report showed program audit findings from the 2020 fiscal year could produce $942 million in recoveries, and more than $3.14 billion could come from investigative recoveries.
OIG reported 624 criminal actions that affected HHS programs in the 2020 fiscal year. It also reported 791 civil actions, including civil monetary penalty settlements and false claims and unjust-enrichment lawsuits.
The office also excluded 2,148 individuals and entities from participating in federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, in the 2020 fiscal year.
“OIG has been a leader in the fight against COVID-19-related fraud, aggressively pursuing those who seek to exploit the public health emergency, endanger people and steal public funds,” Christi Grimm, HHS OIG’s principal deputy inspector general, said in a Dec. 2 news release. “OIG additionally has issued guidance on the application of OIG’s administrative sanction authorities to support health care providers as they have rapidly adjusted to delivering services during the pandemic.”
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