Everyone pays for healthcare fraud: EHFCN launches awareness campaign
Embargoed Tuesday 1st March
Contact: Anne Pierson, office@ehfcn.org, tel +322 7397982
The European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network (EHFCN) launches its awareness campaign 2011 today, joining the International Fraud Awareness Month initiative.
Every year, money is lost to fraud and corruption in the healthcare sector. No matter the healthcare system, fraud and corruption occurs in all EU member states and knows no boundaries. They result from the activities of a minority of dishonest healthcare providers, patients, suppliers and other people involved in healthcare.
Results of a survey among EHFCN member organisations have shown that the most common patterns of fraud that have impacted them included claiming / billing for services that were never provided or received, or claiming / billing for more expensive services than those provided.
For example a doctor in Germany claimed for the reimbursement of pregnancy advice to 80-year old women; a pharmacist in Spain falsified hundreds of prescriptions by changing the name of medicines into more expensive ones and by recording the dispensation of two packs when only one was given.
Other common patterns included providers who performed or requested unnecessary services and others who on their patients' request falsely presented non-reimbursed treatments (such as cosmetic surgery) as necessary. On patients' side, a man in France managed to get the same treatment reimbursed 12 times... The list could be carried on as the ways of defrauding the systems compete in imagination.
The point is that in the end, we all pay for healthcare fraud and corruption. As resources are drained from already restrained health budgets, less funding is available to pay salaries and fund healthcare services and equipment. This in turn leads to reduced availability and poorer quality of services, treatments and care. We all end up bearing the consequences by paying more taxes and higher insurance premiums and by paying for higher costs of medical services, medicines and equipment.
“Recent figures estimate that at least €150 million are lost every day to healthcare fraud and corruption in the European Union. The money lost in one year (approx. €56 billion) would be equivalent to the annual salary of 2.5 million nurses, to founding 3,500 clinics or to providing 1.7 million new incubators in a year [1] ”, said Paul Vincke, President EHFCN. “There is no saying that money could be better used for the improvement of healthcare systems, infrastructure, education and other health services”.
EHFCN wants to mobilize the honest majority of healthcare professionals, patients, providers and all other people involved in healthcare to prevent the fraudulent or corrupt minority from diverting further funds and we call on everyone to participate.
Despite the different healthcare systems and reimbursement methods throughout the EU, whether people are professionally involved in the healthcare sector or not, there is advice available and steps they can take to put a stop on healthcare fraud and corruption.
Our website www.ehfcn.org/stopit provides more information and some promotional materials which can be downloaded free of charge, including a poster for display in any facilities and a web banner to support the campaign online. Also, support our action by joining our Facebook page (Stop healthcare fraud) and contributing your experience of recognising and stopping healthcare fraud.
Recognise it. Stop it. We can all put a stop on healthcare fraud and corruption.
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Note to editors
The European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network (EHFCN) is the only European organisation dedicated to combating healthcare fraud and corruption across Europe in order to bring back money to healthcare services for the benefit of every patient. EHFCN provides information, tools, training and assistance in fighting fraud and corruption to its member associations and offers a platform for members to exchange information and ideas. Further information can be found at www.ehfcn.org.
The International Fraud Awareness Month is run by the international Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), and is also marked by EHFCN's counterpart in Canada, the Canadian Health Care Anti-fraud Association (CHCAA).
[1] Gee J, Button M, Brooks G, The Financial Cost of Healthcare Fraud, London, 2010.