英文摘要 |
Objectives: Insurance fraud is a crime of low-cost, low-risk and high-profit, and health care fraud involves medical professionals, leading to difficulty in preview and proof, and often is indistinguishable from health care wasting. The physicians are highly respected by our community, they have medical expertise that is lacking in general population. The use of medical expertise to perform health care fraud and to obtain improper benefits, this crime is a type of white-collar crime. The National Health Insurance (NHI) went into effect on March 1, 1995. It is a mandatory social insurance, its main purpose is general insurance coverage, universal payment, and without medical obstacle. Insurance fraud in the past occurred in the private insurance, but in recent years, it gradually spreads to NHI. The methods used by unscrupulous physicians in health care fraud are also changing in recent years. In the research during 2000-2007 showed that the judicial judgments are difficult to produce effective deterrence, because the average prison term is about 10 months, and probation rate for health care fraud is higher than the general fraud case. No statistically significant difference in the annual number for health care fraud was observed during these 8 years. And the rate of recidivism accounted for 86.6%. In short, our judicial judgment for health care fraud showed more tolerant to the defendant physicians. The purpose of this study is intended to analyze the first reviews of judgment for health care fraud in the District Court between 2008 and 2011, and compare to that in previous studies, in order to explore the ways of punishment (prosecution or deferred prosecution or not.) are suitable or not, and have the effects to deter health care fraud or not. Finally, the research also explore the sentencing standards from district court judgment are reasonable and objective or not, to make recommendations to amend the law and propose control measures to prevent health care fraud, and avoid the improper wasting or fraud of NHI to ensure the sustainable management of NHI. Methods: The research method adopted in this study mainly is content analysis. The study uses quantitative research method, searching for judgments meeting the definition of health care fraud between 2008 and 2011 from the first reviews of 21 district courts of the Judicial Yuan. Screening criteria are cases related to health care fraud for NHI. Search keywords are fraud for NHI, overflow for NHI, false declaration for medical expenses to NHI. The statistical methods are descriptive statistics, using the average (Mean) and standard deviation to describe the status of each variable. In this study, total 77 judgments (total 184 defendants) form district courts between 2008 and 2011 are included in statistical analysis. Statistical software is SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science), statistical methods include mean and standard deviation, Pearson correlation coefficient, Chi-square test, Fisher's Exact Test, one -way ANOVA, multiple regression analysis and dummy variables to perform statistical analysis and correction, in order to ensure the correctness of the results from quantitative research. Results: this study result showed that each judgment on average fraudulently collected NT$1,177,075. Each case was convicted at the first review by district courts with the average prison term of 259 days, and with the average probation term of 593 days. The average amount of fines was NT$ 284,935 in each judgment. When we use the sum of fraud of 100,000 as the cut-off value, the cases of fraud sum less than NT$ 100,000 were more than the cases of fraud sum more than NT$ 100,000, with total 50 cases (64.9%). In terms of the number of sentenced days of 365 days (one year) for grouping, the number of cases with sentenced days less than 365 days were more than that with sentenced days more than 365 days, with total 60 cases (77.9%). The sum of fraud and sentenced days have a significant positive correlation, it means that when the sum of fraud is higher, the sentenced days will be longer. While the number of probation days and the sum of fines have no correlation with the sum of fraud. The sentenced days and the sum of fines have a significantly positive correlation, it means that when the number of sentenced days is longer, the sum of fines will be higher. While the number of probation days and the sentenced days have no correlations. Finally, the numbers of probation days and sum of fines have a significant positive correlation, it means that the longer of the probation days, the higher of the sum of fines. Overall, under the impact of the adjusted year, the impact of the sum of fraud on sentenced days is positive, that is, when the sum of fraud increased one million, the expected sentenced days will increase 33.92 days. The analysis of health care fraud between 2008 and 2011 demonstrates that most cases are physician defendants and case of recidivism, followed by non-physicians and recidivism cases. The conclusions elucidate that current sentencing judgment has no effect on deterrence for health care fraud. The analysis for the types of health care fraud showed that most cases are untrue registration and claim for payment without providing medical service or claim for payment higher than that required for the medical service provided. Therefore, health care fraud is the easiest and most common medical fraud crime, it is worthy of the attention of justice, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Department.Comments and conclusions for this empirical study: The results of this study shows that there is no objective standard for probation judgments, judgments and fines are also without objective criteria, although the sentenced days has positive correlation with the sum of fraud, but still the high variability existed for sentencing, depending on the freedom of individual judges, leading to no objective standard for sentencing. Total cases for health care fraud between 2008 and 2011 from district courts are only 97 with total number of 184 defendants, this number is too low because the accused defendants accepting legal sanctions only are the tip of the iceberg of the number of all criminals. It needs enhancement and encouragement for people and NHI to report the criminal information to our judicial units, in order to deter the doctors from committing the crime of health care. The study found that present criminal law has no effect on deterrence from committing health care fraud, because the average sentence for health care fraud is about 8-9 months, and probation rate is higher than other fraud case. Therefore, this study shows that the current problems for health care fraud sentencing are legal aspects for judgment: (1) the degree of punishment is too low (2) capital felony but lenient sentence (3) no standard sentencing guideline. Therefore, to prevent the occurrence of health care fraud, amending the law in the future is necessary. The authors propose the following suggestions: First, add special articles or special section for health care fraud in the criminal law. Second, increase sentencing penalties and fines. Third, set up specialized tribunal to investigate and put to trial for health care fraud, and to improve the quality of the adjudgement. Fourth, we should learn to set up team model to fight against health care fraud from U.S. experience. For example, to establish integrated prevention units for health care fraud from various branches of National Health Insurance Bureau, the prosecutor's office of Ministry of Justic, the Department of Health and local health authorities. Fifth, to review the regulations and articles of NHI related to inspection and punishment for the medical fraud immediately. Strict inspection and punishment for committing health care fraud is necessary, especially for physicians and medical institutions with poor management. Implement permanent health insurance contract termination for administrative sanctions is necessary to prevent the occurrence of health care fraud. Finally, enhancing the administrative penalties against physicians committing health care fraud crime from health authorities and the Department of Health, such as warnings, limit the scope of practice, suspension, revocation of license to practice is also regarded as an effective modality to prevent health care fraud. |