With the new rules and incentives reported in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, we are seeing more whistleblowers come forth alleging healthcare fraud. Currently, 90% of health care fraud cases are whistleblower cases — often in which the behavior of the “ethically challenged” directly poses risks to public health.

Regardless of whether whistleblowers are concerned citizens, disgruntled employees or senior executives with a “lottery mentality”, hospitals and other healthcare companies must have strong compliance programs in place to stop fraudulent activity — such as improperly billing Medicare and Medicaid and kickbacks to doctors. A list of healthcare companies that have signed corporate integrity agreements with the OIG can be found here.

With the new incentives, hospitals and other healthcare companies are even more susceptible to whistleblowers. Now is the time to review your current compliance program and develop the necessary internal controls to protect your organization from committing fraud. Below are 4 simple but important considerations to keep in mind when evaluating compliance programs:

1. Periodic comprehensive fraud risk assessments are conducted.
2. Standards of conduct for employees are written and distributed.
3. Educational and training programs are offered to all employees.
4. Audits are conducted to monitor compliance and identify problem areas.

The effectiveness of whistleblowers is also an integral part of the effort to combat healthcare fraud. The first thing people need to do when encountering fraudulent activity in their workplace is to make sure that they understand the reporting framework and seek appropriate legal counsel. As an expert witness, I have seen first-hand the enormous complexity of whistleblower suits.

Earlier this summer, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report identifying the challenges that CMS faces in implementing strategies to prevent overpayments and fraud, waste, and abuse — including focusing on pre- and post-payment claims review on the most vulnerable areas.

Our administration has set battling healthcare fraud, waste and abuse as a high priority. A recent study found $835 million in questionable Medicare payments identified by private contractors in 2007.

Some states are following suit for their Medicaid programs. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services also recently issued a report on the efficiencies and improvements in the Illinois Medicaid program that included measures to prevent Medicaid fraud and overpayments by contracting with third parties to conduct payment and recapture audits. The State of Indiana also recently issued a Request for Services to detect fraud, waste and abuse in its Medicaid program.

It is also important to stop money from going out-the-door in the first place. Preventing inappropriate payments can be easier than “recovering” inappropriate payments after the fact — as evidenced by that fact that perpetrators often “close shop” and move on when they are notified of claim disputes. The GAO calls for Medicare to improve the pre-payment review of claims. As predictive modeling technologies continue to evolve pre-payment claim review will become a critical tool to combating fraud.

The “ethically challenged” understand the amount of money in healthcare – and do not limit their prey to government sponsored programs. It is critical for private payers, plan administrators and self-funded employer plans to follow suit in both pre- and post-claim review.