Healthcare swindle prosecutions are on the rise

Federal healthcare fraud prosecutions are on pace to increase by 85% over last year due to a new emphasis on enforcement.

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) reported 903 prosecutions during the first 8 months of 2011, a 24% increase over the total for all of fiscal year 2010. Prosecutions have risen 71% from 5 years ago, according to TRAC, a research organization at Syracuse University. A case in February resulted in charges against 111 people.

The Obama administration has added two healthcare fraud teams this year. Last year, the government recovered a record $4 billion from health fraud cases, funds that were rolled back into Medicare.