Covid Aid, Managed Care Top Fraud Priorities for HHS Watchdog

Health-care providers who unlawfully claim Covid-19 relief funds, managed care companies that overbill Medicare, and telemarketers that talk patients into services they don’t need are all investigative priorities for the Department of Health and Human Services’ top watchdog.

The HHS Office of Inspector General is pursuing civil monetary penalty cases for fraud on the Covid-19 Provider Relief Fund, Gregory Demske, chief counsel to the HHS IG, said during the Federal Bar Association’s 2022 virtual qui tam conference on Wednesday. It already has settled five such cases, he said.

“People had false certifications; they were not entitled to money that they ...