The Canadian Health Care Anti-Fraud Assocation recently released the results of the 2004 Canadian Health Care Fraud Survey at its annual conference in Niagara Falls on September 22-23. The study found that billions of dollars are lost through health care fraud every year in Canada. Perhaps surprisingly, health care providers of all types are the biggest perpetrators of health care fraud.

The story has since made national news. On September 23, CTV ran an interview with Michael Chettleburgh of survey partner Fraudbox Inc. The survey was also featured in a front-page story in the National Post, and will be addressed in upcoming radio interviews as well.

The survey results have been made available online to inform and educate people about the extent of health care fraud in Canada.

At the 2005 Annual Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the Canadian Health Care Anti-Fraud Association presented the Dr. Edward Mazak Advancement in Public Awareness Award for 2005. Each year, the CHCAA accepts nominations for outstanding achievements in raising public awareness of health care fraud, such as the development and implementation of a fraud awareness program, or distributing anti-fraud information through a public medium.

For 2005, the CHCAA was pleased to bestow the Public Awareness Award to the Pharmacist Education Program, a joint initiative of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association, the Ontario College of Pharmacists, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board of Ontario.

Founded in 2000, the mission of the CHCAA is to combat health care fraud and assist in restoring the integrity of the Canadian health care system. One of the key objectives of the CHCAA is to build public, private, national and international partnerships with insurance carriers, service providers, law enforcement, health regulatory bodies, consumer groups and provider associations to protect the Canadian health care system from fraud.