Pictured left to right: Lynn Ianni, Ph.D., Medicare beneficiary and Medicare fraud victim; Sheila Clark, president and CEO of California Hospice and Palliative Care Association; David Klebonis, CEO of Palm Beach ACO; Christopher Deery, director of Corporate and Financial Investigations at Independence Blue Cross; Kristi Martin, Principal of Highway 136 Consulting
Christopher Deery, director of Corporate and Financial Investigations at Independence Blue Cross (IBX), testified before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means on April 21 about efforts to protect patients and taxpayers from Medicare fraud.
Health care fraud continues to be a growing concern nationwide. In the five-county Philadelphia region served by IBX, Medicare services like hospice and home health have been identified as high risk for fraud by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General.
“Fraud in these spaces diverts resources away from legitimate providers, inflates system-wide costs, and most importantly, exposes vulnerable patients to inappropriate or unnecessary care. It also undermines public trust in programs designed to support our most vulnerable members,” Deery said.
Throughout his career, Deery has focused on uncovering sophisticated fraud schemes in the health care industry. He leads a team of investigators, auditors, and data analysts responsible for protecting patients and safeguarding health care dollars across both the Commercial and Medicare markets. The team’s focus is on identification, investigation, prevention, and reporting fraud, waste, and abuse.
To address the growing complexity of these challenges, IBX has invested heavily in advanced analytics, provider monitoring, and clinical validation strategies aimed at identifying suspicious activity sooner and more effectively.
Call for stronger oversight and collaboration
During the hearing, Deery emphasized the need for more coordination among insurers, government agencies, and law enforcement. He pointed to public and private partnerships as key to identifying emerging fraud schemes sooner, and closer monitoring of provider enrollment and billing activity to catch suspicious patterns before they spread.
Protecting patients
In closing, Deery returned to the impact on patients, noting that continued cooperation between government agencies and private payers is essential to staying ahead of evolving fraud tactics and preserving Medicare’s integrity.
“Protecting our members and safeguarding health care dollars – particularly in hospice and home health – is not about limiting access. It is about ensuring program integrity, so these vital services remain available, trusted, and effective for the patients who truly need them,” Deery explained during the hearing.
