EHFCN Awareness Campaign 2009/2010

EHFCN takes the opportunity of the United Nations' International Anti-Corruption Day to announce the launch of its awareness campaign against healthcare fraud and corruption, which will take place in the week of 18 January 2010 – exactly 40 days from today! 

The theme is: Money lost to healthcare fraud and corruption prevents citizens from accessing appropriate care.

EHFCN's mission is to improve European healthcare systems by reducing losses to fraud and corruption.EHFCN pledges for more transparency in the healthcare sector and calls for the creation of a real anti-fraud and anti-corruption culture within healthcare systems among service providers, healthcare suppliers, healthcare payers, healthcare users and ultimately among all European citizens.

Why a European Campaign against Healthcare Fraud and Corruption?

Annual healthcare spending across the European Union totals approximately one trillion Euros. It is estimated that approximately €56 billion are lost every year to healthcare fraud alone^[1]. This is an enormous price tag and the figures are too big to be ignored.

Everyone has a right to basic healthcare. We cannot save on this. Every year, money is lost to fraud and corruption instead of providing each person with basic healthcare. A big amount of that money could be used for purposes such as improving healthcare infrastructure, healthcare education, technology and other health services. In other words that money would help improve healthcare quality for all.

Aims of the EHFCN Awareness Campaign

The European Campaign against Healthcare Fraud and Corruption is the occasion to remind decision makers, healthcare providers and the public that too much money is lost to healthcare fraud and corruption, which could benefit patients instead. It aims to:

• promote awareness of healthcare fraud and corruption issues;

• make it clear that healthcare fraud and corruption will not be tolerated;
• target the vast honest majority and spread honesty;
• deter those who commit healthcare fraud and corruption by promoting an anti-fraud and anti-corruption culture;
• develop awareness systems to counter healthcare fraud and corruption.

How can you take part in the EHFCN Awareness Campaign?

Whatever your resources, whether you are a small or large organisation, there are many ways for you to participate. You may of course already have some idea of how you will raise awareness in your arena, but here are some possibilities:

Specialist staff from your organisation could:

• conduct awareness presentations to key personnel
• hold promotional events at healthcare premises and distribute information and promotional items
• meet with healthcare staff and members of the public in healthcare bodies to discuss what fraud and corruption in healthcare is and how to report any suspicions.

Utilise the media to raise awareness through:

• national and local press
• articles in specialist magazines
• radio/ television interviews in regard to the work being undertaken to counter healthcare fraud and corruption by your organisation, in your country and across Europe.

Other communications include:

• Add the campaign's banner (which will be available soon) on your website;
• Post information about healthcare fraud and corruption i.e. on your website, intranet and extranet;
• Circulate messages to your own staff through your own internal communications, such as newsletters, intranet, email/ letters, messages on pay slips or insurance renewal letters and meetings;
• Circulate messages to healthcare representative groups within your own country, this could be through your normal communications with them, meetings, newsletters, extranet, through external publications or letters and emails;
• To the general public through advertising in the local and national media
• Placing posters in places such as hospitals, healthcare centres, pharmacies, GP's, dentists and other practitioners waiting rooms, etc.

How will EHFCN help you?

Promotional material will be available to help you promote the fight against healthcare fraud and corruption within your own country, including:

• Week of 14/12/2009: Poster of the campaign (in English, to be translated and adapted to your country)
• Week of 21/12/2009: Banner to put on websites
• Week of 04/01/2010: Figures & bites from the upcoming “Report on the financial costs of healthcare fraud” to be provided
• Week of 11/01/2009: Template press release
• Week of 18/01/2009: EHFCN will:
  
  
  • issue a press release
  • publish the Report on the financial costs of healthcare fraud
  • provide new online diagnostic tools to find out if and how much you may be losing to healthcare fraud and where the weaknesses in your arrangements are.