California Whistleblower Lawyer Discusses Medicare Fraud

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California Whistleblower Lawyer Discusses
Medicare Fraud

• November 14, 2014 423 PM
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• SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 14,
  2014 / Kathleen Scanlan Federal Whistleblower
  Lawyer from California discusses focused efforts
  to identify the most troubling forms of fraud -
  and how insiders provide invaluable help.
• Fraud takes many shapes, but some forms have had
  a particularly harmful impact on society. Certain
  Medicare frauds, for example, can mean the loss
  of millions of dollars that could be helping
  those in need. Some financial frauds, meanwhile,
  can destroy shareholder value and shake investor
  confidence. Little wonder, then, that the
  government has created special task forces that
  focus on these high-priority frauds. These
  initiatives send a message to wrongdoers that
  there is a coordinated effort to root them out -
  and are the government's own admission of where
  it could use the help of whistleblowers.

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• In a new Google Hangout from Keller Grover,
  attorney Kathleen Scanlan discusses these
  government task forces how they work, and how
  whistleblowers are uniquely positioned to provide
  information that can help the government succeed
  in these priorities.
• Watch the Google Hangout "California Medicare
  Fraud Lawyer Discusses Medicare Fraud" on
  YouTube.
• The video talks about some of the most important
  task forces operating today, run by agencies like
  Health and Human Services, the Securities and
  Exchange Commission and the Department of
  Justice. It also addresses where whistleblowers
  fit in providing essential details that shine a
  light on how wrongful activity is being
  conducted.
• "Government programs are a ready target for fraud
  because they involve such large outlays. So it's
  only natural that some of these programs would be
  a key focus of anti-fraud enforcement activity,"
  says Scanlan. "Task forces are staffed by
  government agents and investigators and charged
  with fighting fraud where the government is
  seeing some of the worst abuse."
• Among the most visible task forces are the SEC's
  "Operation Broken Gate," which is designed to
  identify auditors who fail to carry out their
  professional responsibilities and put investors
  at risk by not detecting financial misstatements
  and reporting fraud. Already, the task force has
  seen a number of successful enforcement actions
  against auditors who failed to comply with
  professional standards.

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• Medicare fraud is also the subject of task force
  action. The Prevention and Enforcement Action
  Team (HEAT), for example, is a joint effort of
  the Department of Justice and the Department of
  Health and Human Services. Its mission to crack
  down on the individuals and organizations that
  abuse the Medicare and Medicaid programs and cost
  Americans billions of dollars each year, through
  false billing and other schemes.
• Procurement fraud has been the focus of
  government task forces, as well. The
  International Contract Corruption Task Force
  concentrates on the often complex frauds that
  divert taxpayer funds intended to support U.S.
  military efforts abroad. The National Procurement
  Fraud Task Force, meanwhile, is tasked with
  identifying fraud involving the nearly 450
  billion in grants the government awards each
  year, for everything from transportation
  infrastructure and homeland security to
  scientific research and the arts.
• "Coordinated efforts like task forces focus
  government resources to key battlegrounds in the
  fight against fraud," Attorney Kathleen Scanlan
  says. "But task forces still need sufficient,
  accurate information if they are to root out
  wrongful activity. That's where whistleblowers
  prove time and again why they are the most
  effective weapons in the government arsenal. They
  are able to provide details that a government
  task force might not otherwise be able to obtain.
  The federal legislation that empowers individuals
  who sound the alarm on fraud against the
  government - the False Claims Act -- has spurred
  the recovery of more than 34 billion since the
  mid 1980s. That is 34 billion that the
  government has been able to redirect back to
  where it was intended funding worthy projects
  and fulfilling important goals, from healthcare
  to defense."
• Task forces, as Kathleen Scanlan explains, are an
  acknowledgement of where significant fraud is
  happening and a dedication of significant
  resources to take on fraud. Combined with a
  whistleblower's information, this puts the
  government in the best possible position to end
  wrongful activity -- and steer funds back to the
  purpose they were intended for.
• More Information at
• http//www.reportgovfraudnow.com/
• Follow Kathleen Scanlan Federal Whistleblower
  Lawyers' webpage.
• Call the Whistleblower Helpline to report
  Medicare or Medicaid Fraud 866.486.1537
• SOURCE Keller Grover LLP