What are two key areas that can assist in the prevention and deterrence of health care fraud?

The combination of incentives and consistency in enforcement is particularly effective in preventing and deterring health care fraud because it addresses both the motivation of individuals and the reliability of the enforcement mechanism.

Incentives are crucial as they encourage ethical behavior among health care providers and employees. By recognizing and rewarding transparent practices, individuals are motivated to adhere to standards that help prevent fraudulent activities.

Consistency in enforcement complements this by ensuring that there are predictable and uniform consequences for fraudulent actions. When organizations are consistent in their enforcement, individuals are more likely to perceive the risks of committing fraud as high, thereby deterring potential misconduct. If enforcement is applied inconsistently, it could create an environment where individuals feel emboldened to take risks.

In this context, while risk assessments, performance reviews, and policy amendments may have their roles in fraud prevention, they don't inherently combine the motivational and enforcement aspects as effectively as the selected answer does. Risk assessments help identify potential vulnerabilities, performance reviews assess employee effectiveness, and policy amendments can update frameworks for compliance; however, they do not directly ensure that the incentives for ethical behavior are aligned with enforceable actions. Therefore, the focus on both incentives and consistent enforcement provides a comprehensive approach to mitigating the risk of health care fraud.