Pandemic Response Accountability Committee Report Highlights Telehealth Program Integrity Concerns

On December 1, 2022, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Health Care Subgroup issued its report on fraud, waste and abuse risks that arose as a result of the dramatic increase in telehealth services provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PRAC was created under the CARES Act to oversee the historic spending that was part of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The PRAC Health Care Subgroup comprises the offices of the inspector general (OIGs) for six federal agencies:

  • The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
  • The US Department of Defense (DoD)
  • The Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
  • The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
  • The US Department of Labor (DOL)
  • The US Department of Justice (DOJ).

Each OIG oversees an agency that administers a federal program connected to using or paying for telehealth services.

The report highlights the increased access to services that telehealth facilitated during the pandemic and notes key focus areas with respect to program integrity and preventing fraud and abuse. The report is a resource intended to be used by stakeholders across the healthcare industry, including congressional lawmakers, federal and state agencies, and healthcare organizations. The report aims to raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding expanded telehealth services against fraud, waste and abuse.

Read more here.

James A. Cannatti III
James A. Cannatti III practices at the intersection of today’s most pertinent healthcare issues, including in the areas of digital health, health IT policy, and the fraud and abuse laws. He counsels healthcare providers, health information technology companies, and other healthcare and life sciences organizations on matters ranging from Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law and EKRA compliance to information blocking and interoperability. With more than a decade spent in the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the wealth of experience gained from serving as OIG’s Senior Counselor for Health Information Technology, James is well-attuned to the regulatory issues impacting the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Read James A. Cannatti III's full bio. 


Tony Maida
Tony Maida counsels health care and life sciences clients on government investigations, regulatory compliance and compliance program development. Having served as a government official, Tony has extensive experience in health care fraud and abuse and compliance issues, including the federal and state Anti-Kickback and Stark Laws and Medicare and Medicaid coverage and payment rules. He represents clients in False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam matters, government audits, civil monetary penalty and exclusion investigations, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) suspension, and revocation actions, negotiating and implementing corporate integrity agreements, and making government self-disclosures. Read Tony Maida's full bio.


Lester Perling
Lester J. Perling counsels healthcare providers on a variety of regulatory, compliance, enforcement and reimbursement matters, with particular focus on fraud and abuse compliance and investigations. Board-certified in health law by The Florida Bar and certified in healthcare compliance by the Health Care Compliance Association, Lester leverages decades of health industry experience to provide strategic and business-centric counsel to providers engaging in transactions, addressing compliance matters or when facing government and private payor audits, as well as federal and state administrative, civil and criminal investigations. He is particularly experienced in helping clients address regulatory and billing compliance matters. Read Lester J. Perling's full bio.


Dexter Golinghorst
Dexter Golinghorst focuses his practice on health law matters, providing regulatory and operational advice to traditional healthcare providers, industry innovators and other healthcare and life sciences clients. Dexter also assists in transactional matters, performing due diligence, drafting and reviewing agreements and providing counsel on compliance matters for mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic transactions. Read Dexter Golinghorst's full bio.

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