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Fraud, Abuse and Privacy HotlineThe Fraud, Abuse and Privacy Hotline is a toll-free number available to all staff and faculty to use anonymously to report suspected wrongdoing, including waste, fraud, abuse and violations of any federal or state laws. The Hotline: 1 (800) 898-7679Is a toll-free number you can call at anytime to report suspected wrongdoing, fraud, waste, abuse, and violations of any federal or state laws.
You may also report suspected fraud, waste, and abuse to the State Auditor’s Office Hotline at 1-800-TX-AUDIT (1-800-892-8348). The State Auditor’s Office provides additional information at its website, http://sao.fraud.state.tx.us. That’s all there is to it!
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The purpose of the Hotline is to provide UTMB employees an alternative method of reporting instances of wrongdoing, fraud, waste and abuse, other than using regular administrative channels. While you are encouraged to report compliance issues directly to your immediate supervisor, UTMB recognizes that this may not always be an option and has made available the Fraud and Abuse Hotline for this very reason.
The hotline is a resource available to UTMB staff and faculty 24 hours
a day, 365 days a year.
A company contracted by UTMB located off the UTMB campus and staffed
with specially trained personnel answer all incoming UTMB Hotline calls.
UTMB employees do not answer calls. When you call into the hotline you
will be asked to describe the suspected compliance problem in as much
detail as possible. You do not need to tell them who you are. Upon completion
of your call, the specially trained personnel will promptly relay the
information to UTMB's Office of Institutional Compliance for investigation.
No. You do not have to reveal your identity to call the Hotline. Calls are not traced and are not recorded. No one will know you called unless you tell them you called or you willingly identify yourself during the call.
No. The hotline does not record calls and does not have caller ID capability. Calls cannot be traced back to anyone at anytime.
Most instances of fraud and abuse are discovered through tips and complaints from honest people who are not sure of all the facts. This type of call is encouraged as well as acceptable. The hotline will take the information you provide and forward it immediately to UTMB's Office of Institutional Compliance for investigation.
Although the hotline was established to report suspected waste, fraud and abuse, any type of call or compliant that is made will be reported to UTMB's Office of Institutional Compliance.
Calls to the hotline should be made in good faith and report misconduct
rather than employee dissatisfaction.
Typical calls could pertain to billing fraud; suspected Medicare/Medicaid
abuse; suspected embezzlement; time or expense abuses; conflicts of
interest; kickbacks; discrimination; waste; anti-trust issues; harassment;
environmental issues; and other violations of federal and state laws.
While this list is not inclusive of all call types, any issue that appears
to be in violation of the laws, regulations and policies reflected in
UTMB’s Standards of Conduct Guide, The Portrait of Integrity,
should be reported.
There are federal are and state laws that protect individuals who provide confidential information regarding possible illegal activities in the workplace. Therefore, under the law UTMB, as well as other UTMB employees, are not allowed to penalize those employees providing good-faith reports of this nature. UTMB has a specific policy prohibiting retaliation against an employee who makes a report in good faith. The university is committed to maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of caller to the extent allowed by law.
UTMB is committed to investigating all reports promptly and will maintain the confidentiality and anonymity of all parties involved to the fullest extent of the law. Because of this, not all situations are made public. Results of the investigation are reported to the Institutional Compliance Officer, and corrective action plans are implemented as soon as possible. The specific action taken will depend on the nature and severity of the violation.
UTMB's Office of Institutional Compliance was established to:
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