US Attorney General Eric Holder steps down from post
By - Last Thursday, US Attorney General Eric Holder announced his resignation. Holder said that he would remain at the head of the Department of Justice (DOJ) until his successor was found. Holder was appointed in 2009 and is the first African-American to hold the position of US Attorney General.
During his six-year reign, Holder made waves in his stance on healthcare as the government increased its efforts to prevent and penalize healthcare abuse. For example, in May of this year, Holder and Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that the Medicare Fraud Strike Force helped charge 90 individuals in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $260 million in false billings.
Moreover, Strike Force operations are part of the Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), which is a joint initiative between the DOJ and HHS to focus prevention efforts on fraud and to enforce current anti-fraud laws around the country.
“Medicare is a sacred compact with our nation’s seniors, and to protect it, we must remain aggressive in combating fraud,” Holder said in May.
Holder was also part of the government warning hospitals to be careful of how they bill Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement in 2012. Holder and Sebelius signed a letter that was sent to five major hospital trade associations that there were several indications that providers were using electric health records (EHRs) “to game the system.”
The administration said that it would aggressively look for any providers who are committing fraud, and will also consider whether it needs to make changes in the way it pays for care.
The DOJ and HHS also saw record-breaking recoveries from their efforts in combating healthcare fraud for fiscal year 2013. The latest Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program report showed that $4.3 billion was recovered in fraud cases and a total of $19.2 billion over the last five years. It was the fifth consecutive year that the program increased recoveries over the past year.
“With these extraordinary recoveries, and the record-high rate of return on investment we’ve achieved on our comprehensive health care fraud enforcement efforts, we’re sending a strong message to those who would take advantage of their fellow citizens, target vulnerable populations, and commit fraud on federal health care programs,” Holder said in an HHS release announcing the recovered funds.
In an interview with CNN before he made his official announcement, Holder explained he never intended to stay for the duration of President Barack Obama’s second term. As things are going smoothly in the department, Holder said that it was a good time to step down.
“I’m confident we’re in a good place,” Holder said. “Now was a good time to go [with] those accomplishments in the last few years in place.”
Holder added that he’s leaving knowing that a great deal was accomplished in areas that were important to him and that he is “satisfied with the work we have done.”
