title: "Sentinel effect" shows fraud control effort works.
abstract: The author analyzes the fraud and abuse track record of his agency in the past years, and discuss why that effort has had beneficial results for the healthcare industry and the federal fisc. The benefits of this enforcement effort flow directly from the specific enforcement actions, and indirectly from the response of others in the industry to the standards set forth in those actions. Mr. Thornton disputes assertions of some in the industry that the enforcement efforts are unfair, arbitrary, or draconian. Rather, they are an appropriate response to a documented problem with which the government is justifiably concerned.
authors.affiliation: Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, USA.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Thornton
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005161:Facility Regulation and Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005607:Fraud / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D007882:Legislation, Hospital; D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014481:United States; D014483:United States Dept. of Health and Human Services