Mr. Berls is the Senior Director of Investigations for UnitedHealthcare’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and a frequent speaker at industry events. In his role, Mr. Berls has direct oversight of SIU operations and governs a comprehensive anti-fraud, waste, and abuse investigative program. During his tenure at UnitedHealthcare, Mr. Berls held numerous positions to include, Director of Investigations, Associate Director of Investigations, Investigations Manager, and Investigative Consultant.
Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, Mr. Berls held various investigative positions within HealthNet’s SIU and often served as a lead investigator on various projects.
Mr. Berls is an Accredited Health Care Fraud Investigator (AHFI), a professional designation granted by the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA), a graduate of the FBI Citizens’ Academy, and holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master’s Degree from Kean University.
Mr. Berls was the inaugural recipient of NHCAA’s 2018 John Morris Volunteer Service Award. The John Morris Volunteer Service Award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution in support of the mission of NHCAA. In partnership with NHCAA, Mr. Berls sits on various training committees and provides NHCAA staff with invaluable advice on topics of concern to the industry, including pharmacy fraud, data analytics, and investigative strategies. Additionally, Mr. Berls is the co-chair of NHCAA’s Pharmacy & Prescription Drug Fraud Interest Group and Data Interest Group.
More notably, Mr. Berls co-authored an article published in Health Care Compliance Association’s April 2020 issue of Compliance Today Magazine which addressed various components of an Executive Order entitled, Protecting and Improving Medicare for Our Nation’s Senior.