Today’s issue of WorkCompRecap features a couple of pieces of news from the opioid war, starting with the Justice Department Criminal Division’s announcement of the formation of the New England Prescription Opioid (NEPO) Strike Force, a joint law enforcement effort that brings together the resources and expertise of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for three federal districts, as well as law enforcement partners at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), DEA, and the FBI.
The new NEPO Strike Force aims to identify and investigate health care fraud schemes in the New England region and prosecute individuals involved in illegal distribution of prescription opioids and other prescribed controlled substances. The strike force will primarily target criminal conduct by physicians, pharmacists, and other medical professionals, focusing on both health care fraud and drug diversion offenses.