Medicare Fraud Strike Force

Medicare Fraud Strike Force Teams harness data analytics and the combined resources of Federal, State, and local law enforcement entities to prevent and combat health care fraud, waste, and abuse. First established in March 2007, Strike Force teams currently operate in the following areas: Miami; Los Angeles; Houston; Brooklyn; the Gulf Coast (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Gulfport); Tampa; Orlando; Newark; Philadelphia; Dallas; Houston; the Appalachian Region (Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Alabama); the New England Region (New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont); National Rapid Response Strike Force (Washington, DC), the West Coast Region (California, Nevada, Arizona), and the Midwest Region (Detroit, Chicago, and Minnesota).

Strike Force teams bring together the efforts of the Office of Inspector General, the Department of Justice, Offices of the United States Attorneys, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, local law enforcement, and others.

These teams have a proven record of success in analyzing data and investigative intelligence to quickly identify fraud and bring prosecutions. The interagency collaboration also enhances the effectiveness of the Strike Force model. For example, OIG refers credible allegations of fraud to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) so that it can suspend payments to the suspected perpetrators, thereby immediately preventing losses from claims submitted by investigative targets.

Strike Force teams have shut down health care fraud schemes around the country, arrested more than a thousand criminals, and recovered billions of taxpayer dollars.