Tennessee has a number of laws governing fraud and abuse in programs for medical assistance.  In order to streamline its program integrity efforts surrounding medical assistance programs, Tennessee has established a Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which is authorized to investigate provider fraud and abuse relating to the Medicaid (referred to as “TennCare”) and the Medicare programs, as well as abuse and neglect in healthcare facilities receiving payments from the TennCare program.1  All managed care organizations, contractors and providers must notify the TennCare office and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit upon discovery that an enrollee has committed fraud; failure to report fraud will result in a penalty of up to $10,000.2  The penalty for provider submission of a false claim to TennCare ranges from $5,000 to $25,000, plus three times the amount of damages sustained by the state.3  Fraudulently obtaining medical assistance benefits under the TennCare program is considered a felony.4