DOJ announces record number of settlements
By HME News Staff
Updated 8:27 AM CST, Mon February 26, 2024
WASHINGTON – Settlements and judgments under the False Claims Act exceeded $2.68 billion in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced.
The government and whistleblowers were party to 543 settlements and judgments, the highest number in a single year, the DOJ says.
“Protecting taxpayer dollars from fraud and abuse is of paramount importance to the Department of Justice – and these enforcement figures prove it,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “The False Claims Act remains one of our most important tools for rooting out fraud, ensuring that public funds are spent properly, and safeguarding critical government programs.”
Recoveries since 1986, when Congress substantially strengthened the civil False Claims Act, now total more than $75 billion.
Of the more than $2.68 billion in False Claims Act settlements and judgments reported by the DOJ this past fiscal year, more than $1.8 billion related to matters that involved the health care industry, including managed care providers, hospitals, pharmacies, laboratories, long-term acute care facilities, and physicians. The amounts included in the $1.8 billion reflect recoveries arising only from federal losses, but in many of these cases, the department was instrumental in recovering additional amounts for state Medicaid programs.
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