False Claims Act Insights - Eureka! Government Investigators Seek Out Research Misconduct
Common Scenarios Triggering False Claims Act Violations, Part 1: Gov. Contracts and Cybersecurity
FCA Uncovered: Mitigating Risk in the Regulatory Spotlight — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
False Claims Act Insights - Think You Know Whistleblowers? Think Again.
Fraud and Abuse Enforcement Priorities in the Wake of COVID-19 - Diagnosing Health Care Podcast
Health Care Continues to Drive False Claims Act Recoveries: Thought Leaders in Health Law Video Series
Florida Lab Owner Agrees to Pay Over $27 Million to Resolve Three Whistleblower Lawsuits - Daniel Hurt, the prior owner and operator of Fountain Health Services LLC, Verify Health, Landmark Diagnostics LLC, First Choice...more
A recent District of Columbia federal court ruling reminds employers that a severance agreement containing a release of claims under the False Claims Act does not guarantee dismissal of a suit on those grounds....more
The False Claims Act ("FCA") imposes liability on anyone who "knowingly" makes a false claim to the Federal Government. This includes making false claims for reimbursement from the government under federal programs. As part...more
The Federal False Claims Act (“FCA”) imposes civil liability for presenting a false claim to the government for payment. The Federal Anti-Kickback Statue (“AKS”) prohibits medical providers from making referrals in return for...more
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the Government can dismiss a False Claims Act (“FCA”) lawsuit pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 3730(c)(2)(A) over the Relator’s objections after initially choosing not to intervene...more
On February 7, 2022, the Northern District of New York dismissed a qui tam complaint against a New York nursing facility operator, Kingston NH Operations LLC, which operates Ten Broeck Center (TBC). The relator, a former...more
On June 29, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement with California skilled nursing facility operator Plum Healthcare Group LLC and facility Azalea Holdings LLC dba McKinley Park Care Center (Plum) to...more
On March 31, 2021, in United States ex rel. Felten v. William Beaumont Hospital, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that an employer’s allegedly retaliatory conduct directed at an employee after the employee’s...more
DOJ’s 2020 False Claims Act Recoveries Lowest Since 2008 - On January 14, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it obtained more than $2.2 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving...more
DOJ Announces $72.3 Million False Claims Act Settlement - Oklahoma Center for Orthopaedic and Multi-Specialty Surgery, its part-owner and management company, a physician group, and other affiliated entities and...more
Nonprofit Hospital System and Physician Practice Reach $10 Million Settlement for False Claims Act Allegations - Centra Health Inc., a nonprofit hospital system, and Blue Ridge Ear, Nose, Throat and Plastic Surgery, Inc.,...more
Key Points: - False Claims Act plaintiff cannot use discovery to satisfy Fed. R. Civ. P. 9(b). - Payment of fair market value is a dispositive defense in FCA actions alleging a violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. ...more
This week the Department of Justice reported it recovered $3 billion from False Claims Act cases in 2019. Of that recovery amount, $2.1 billion resulted from whistleblower, or qui tam, actions. In addition, 633 new qui tam...more
A federal court has found no coverage for a $42 million whistleblower settlement due to the insured’s failure to timely report the claim to its carrier. PAMC, Ltd. v. National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pa.,...more
In 2018, the False Claims Act (“FCA”) continued to be one of the federal government’s (“Government”) preferred civil fraud enforcement tools across a variety of industries. The healthcare industry, however, remained the...more
The False Claims Act (“FCA”) permits a person, known as a “qui tam relator” (or more commonly, a “whistleblower”), to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the federal government when that person has information that a healthcare...more
Our Government & Internal Investigations Team analyzes the use of data analytics by relators and the government in False Claims Act cases and other enforcement actions in the health care industry....more
Regulation - CMS Contemplating Telemedicine Changes - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published what it described as a "major proposed rule" that covers a number of topics that could have...more
The Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act (EMTALA) requires a hospital with an emergency department (ED) to provide "an appropriate medical screening examination" when an individual comes to the ED and a request is made on...more
In this issue we report on recent qui tam activity and look at three unsealed cases. One case involves allegations of “up coding” by a hospital that allegedly billed routine transport as emergency transport, reimbursed at...more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) reports that, in fiscal year 2016 ending September 30, it obtained more than $4.7 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims. More than half of this...more
Featured Unsealed Cases United States ex rel. Thomas v. Best Choice Home Health Care Agency, Inc., No. 2:13-cv-02209 (D. Kan.) - Complaint Filed: May 6, 2013 - Complaint Unsealed: October 24, 2016 - ...more
Prompt Payment Discounts Not an Anti-Kickback Statute Violation - In United States of Am. et al. ex rel. Ruscher v. Omnicare, No. 15-20629, 2016 WL 6407128 (5th Cir. Oct. 28, 2016), the court of appeals affirmed summary...more
Chief compliance officers face an overwhelming level of risk in the healthcare sector. I do not mean to belittle the risks of corruption, AML, sanctions and other risks typically associated with global companies. Healthcare...more
Here’s a riddle: The whistleblower is a former employee of the defendant, with inside knowledge of the operations at the heart of his qui tam suit. How can that inside knowledge be a handicap in pressing his claim? A June...more