| On March 30, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a major new initiative to target quality of care and fraud and abuse in elder care by forming 10 Elder Justice Task Forces throughout the United States. The DOJ intends to build these task forces on interdisciplinary teams – including Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action or HEAT Teams – already at work in several districts across the country. The teams include representatives from the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, local prosecutors’ offices, the Department of Health and Human Services, state Adult Protective Service agencies and other law enforcement. As with similar efforts, these multifaceted teams are designed to foster information sharing and cooperation among the myriad of agencies tasked with enforcing quality of care, billing and fraud and abuse laws and regulations. |