False Claims Act recoveries at all-time record level.

As reported by Modern Healthcare, the Justice Department says it has collected $2.1 billion under the False Claims Act for the fiscal year that ended September 30, $1.7 billion of which came from health-care fraud settlements. This includes "$641 million by HCA, $382 million by Abbott Laboratories, $280 million by AstraZeneca and $51 million by Tenet Healthcare Corp." Relevant sources on the federal government's fraud-fighting efforts include:

• press release: "JUSTICE DEPT. CIVIL FRAUD RECOVERIES TOTAL $2.1 BILLION FOR FY 2003; FALSE CLAIMS ACT RECOVERIES EXCEED $12 BILLION SINCE 1986";
• The Department of Health and Human Services And The Department of Justice Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Annual Report For FY 2002.