(a) Duties of department.--The department shall adopt regulations relating to the determination of eligibility of prospective claimants and providers, including dispensing physicians and certified registered nurse practitioners when acting in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the State Board of Nursing as required by the act of May 22, 1951 (P.L. 317, No. 69),¹ known as The Professional Nursing Law, and the State Board of Pharmacy minimum standards of practice, and the determination and elimination of program abuse. To this end, the department shall establish a compliance unit staffed sufficiently to fulfill this responsibility. The department shall have the power to declare ineligible any claimant or provider who abuses or misuses the established prescription plan. The department shall have the power to investigate cases of suspected provider or recipient fraud.