PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Elberg, Jacob T.
AU  - Adashi, Eli Y.
TI  - Fraud, Access, and the Future of Telemedicine
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2023.230044R1
DP  - 2023 Oct 11
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Medicine
PG  - 864--866
VI  - 36
IP  - 5
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/36/5/864.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/36/5/864.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med2023 Oct 11; 36
AB  - On July 20, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), issued a Special Fraud Alert warning healthcare providers of increased fraudulent activity surrounding telemedicine companies. The Alert marks a further escalation of a multi-year effort by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the HHS-OIG to crack down on multi-billion dollar fraud cases involving telehealth companies. It is the objective of this Commentary to place the HHS-OIG Special Fraud Alert in the context of enforcement efforts by the DOJ and HHS to stem the recent growth in telehealth fraud resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Taken together, it is apparent this is a critical moment in the evolution of telehealth and it is crucial to strike a proper balance between effective regulation and enforcement on the one hand, and access to care on the other.