US Attorney: Consider the Strength of Your Corporate Compliance Program

U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Carmen Ortiz, emphasized the importance of compliance programs early on during her presentation at the 2014 CBI Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress. She noted that "compliance is key at every different level" of an entity, and that "it matters to the government what kind of compliance program" an entity has. She noted that healthcare fraud enforcement is not just about monetary penalties, and that her office leads "fair and thorough investigations," always keeping in mind the government's main priority: patient safety. She noted that patient health is paramount to the medication they are taking and the advice their doctors are giving; pausing to note that there needs to be "legitimacy" in the practices and treatments doctors are recommending. One of her first slides acknowledged "the importance of health care fraud investigations and prosecutions," noting that health care spending is expected to grow 6.1% in 2014 in response to many of the provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as well as the continued aging population of the baby-boomer generation - See more at: http://www.policymed.com/2014/02/us-attorney-consider-the-strength-of-your-corporate-compliance-program.html#sthash.I0oanGJ6.dpuf