New Medicare fraud detection system saves $115 mil

A highly touted new system designed to stop fraudulent Medicare payments before they are paid has saved about $115 million and spurred more than 500 investigations since it was launched in 2011.

Federal health officials who released the report Friday noted the projected savings in future years could be exponentially higher.

But the overall figures are minuscule compared to the estimated $60 billion lost to Medicare fraud annually.

With the Obama administration and Congress desperately looking for savings to avoid a budget meltdown, denting Medicare fraud has the potential to save billions of dollars.

The $77 million technology system fights fraud similar to the way credit card companies scan for suspicious charges and freeze accounts.