Federal team arrests 38 for Medicare fraud.

A multiagency "strike force" targeting fraudulent Medicare billing related to infusion therapy and durable medical equipment recently made 38 arrests.

The arrests, all in south Florida, mark the first phase of operations of the team of federal, state, and local investigators. The team began its operations in March using both real-time analysis of billing data from Medicare and claims data extracted from the Health Care Information System.

In May the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services jointly announced that the multiagency team had obtained indictments of individuals and health care companies alleged to have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $142 million. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program, criminal false claims, and violations of the antikickback statutes.

The antifraud efforts drew praise from Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.).

"Federal health dollars are just too scarce to lose to fraud and abuse in Medicare," he said in a statement. "I'm glad to see the Justice Department taking this new, more aggressive stance against scams that endanger Medicare patients and that rob all taxpayers who contribute to America's health care programs."

Sen. Baucus had recently expressed concern about reports of durable medical equipment fraud in South Florida. In one recent instance, the Health and Human Services inspector general found that many medical device suppliers were not at their advertised addresses but were still billing Medicare for millions of dollars in reimbursement.