The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) has approved a request by the State of Florida to get access to Medicaid data so they can use data mining techniques to identify suspicious patterns in claims according to a speech given by Secretary Sebelius as part of the Regional Health Care Fraud Summit in Miami, Florida.
She has explained that the Affordable Care Act adds new funding for the crack down on fraud, strengthens screenings for health care providers who want to participate in Medicaid or Medicare, makes it easier for law enforcement to see health care claims data from different government agencies in one place, and increases the penalties for fraud.
Additional information on Secretary Sebelius’ speech is available at http://www.hhs.gov/secretary/about/speeches/sp20100716a.html.