What does HEAT stand for in healthcare?
In healthcare conversations, HEAT is a term that refers to the health care fraud prevention and enforcement action team. 

What is the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT)?
The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team is an organization that was created in May of 2009 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Office of Inspector General to address healthcare fraud and its prevention. The creation of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) was fueled by the sizable loss of Medicare and Medicaid funds to fraud. Due to the large money loss by fraud perpetrators, healthcare costs increased and long term solvency was damaged, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

Thankfully, HEAT is now a powerful resource in the fight against fraudulent crimes. It is the mission of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team to prevent abuse, fraud, and waste, to reduce healthcare costs, to improve healthcare quality, and to build strong relationships between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Office of Inspector General. The best way for HEAT to carry out this mission is to prevent fraud by targeting and punishing fraud perpetrators. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a very important part of HEAT is the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is a task force that consists of analysts, investigators, and prosecutors of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General who work together to seek and attack fraud schemes. 

The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team is important because there’s a certain amount of risk involved for anyone who receives healthcare services from Medicare or Medicaid. Because there are individuals out there who are trying to commit fraudulent crimes, your organization could be at risk. But with the help of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team and its Medicare Fraud Strike Force, these fraudulent crimes are actively prevented and prosecuted. The U.S. Department of Justice boasts that the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged 2,536 criminals who were involved in over $8 billion in fraud since 2007 and that the Medicare Fraud Strike Force holds a conviction rate of around ninety-five percent. Because of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team, the risk organizations take on is minimized when using healthcare services such as Medicare and Medicaid.

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