Seema Verma

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will share its best fraud prevention tactics used against nursing homes and other providers with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the agencies said Tuesday in announcing a joint effort to sniff out waste and abuse.

Officials with the nation’s two largest public-private healthcare payment organizations plan to build on CMS integrity programs to weed out fraud related to veterans’ care using shared data, analytical tools and best practices.

CMS estimates its integrity activities saved Medicare $17 billion in fiscal 2015, with other HHS tactics — including law enforcement and civil cases — contributing to even greater savings.

The VA plans to implement analytics advancements made by CMS, particularly technology, statistics and data analysis, to close gaps in its own claims payment process.

“We have a special obligation to keep America’s promise to those who have served our country and ensure that Veterans receive high-quality and accessible healthcare,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement. “CMS is sharing lessons learned and expertise to eliminate these abuses of the public trust.”

In April, the VA also will invite industry experts to demonstrate commercial capabilities for detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuse and recovering improper payments.

“The VA-HHS alliance represents the latest example of VA’s commitment to find partners to assist with identifying new and innovative ways to seek out fraud, waste and abuse and ensure every tax dollar given to VA supports Veterans,” said VA Secretary David J. Shulkin, M.D.