Designed for busy in-house counsel and compliance professionals, this newsletter seeks to bring you up to speed on key federal and state False Claims Act (FCA) developments, with links to primary resources. Each quarter, we...more
On December 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments in USA v. Mark Sorensen, case number 24-1557, and it is now taking under advisement a case that could have widespread effects as to what...more
A multistate coalition of 44 AGs and the U.S. Department of Justice settled with Precision Toxicology, LLC d/b/a Precision Diagnostics, Inc. (Precision) to resolve allegations that it made false claims to multiple federal...more
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced on August 20 that National Interventional Radiology Partners PLLC (NIRP) and its founder and CEO will pay $8,884,091 to the United States to resolve...more
Whistleblower Watch is a comprehensive source for all False Claims Act (FCA) news and information. Every quarter, Cozen O’Connor will provide in-house counsel and compliance professionals with a summary of the most notable...more
In early May 2024, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) agreed to pay $38 million to resolve a False Claims Act case based on alleged Stark Law violations. The size of the settlement in United States ex rel. J....more
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the request of qui tam relators that it review the Sixth Circuit’s recent decision in United States of America ex rel. Martin v. Hathaway, No. 22-1463 (6th Cir.). In so doing, the...more
Two recently decided federal court cases hone in on the proper interpretation and application of three critical components of the Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”), namely: •the requirement that a violation of the AKS must...more
The Court’s decision in U.S. v. Holland highlights the apparent contradiction between the judicially created and often relied upon “one purpose test” involving criminal and civil enforcement actions under the Federal...more
A recent settlement involving a Medicare Advantage plan should serve as a reminder that the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) is broad and far-reaching, both on its face and in practice. On July 1, 2022, the U.S. Department...more
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Flower Mound Hospital Partners LLC, a partially physician-owned hospital in Flower Mound, Texas, agreed to pay $18.2 million to settle its alleged violations of the False...more
Kathryn Isted In Harbor Healthcare System, L.P. v. United States, 5 F.4th 593 (5th Cir. 2021), the court of appeals ruled that the district court abused its discretion in refusing to exercise its equitable jurisdiction over a...more
Northern District of Illinois recently found that a home health care company violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) because the fees it paid to a community care organization for access to that company’s patient data...more
In United States ex rel. Roshan v. E. Tex. Med. Ctr., 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 252092, 2020 WL 8918651 (E.D. Tex. (Nov. 24, 2020)), a Texas federal court partially dismissed a relator’s claim alleging the defendants engaged in...more
Most health care providers have at least a basic understanding of the Anti-Kickback Statute. This federal law prohibits providers from offering, paying, soliciting, or accepting any form of “remuneration” for patient...more
On September 9, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $50 million settlement with Wheeling Hospital, Inc. of West Virginia to resolve False Claims Act allegations that Wheeling Hospital violated the Anti-Kickback...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
Boston Heart Diagnostics, a Massachusetts company, agree to pay $26.7 million to settle a False Claims Act case involving allegations of paying illegal kickbacks to physicians....more
On October 9, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the regulations interpreting the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law), including a new proposed exception for limited...more
As part of the long-awaited proposed changes “to modernize and clarify” the regulations that interpret the Physician Self-Referral Law (the “Stark Law”) released on October 9, 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...more
In recent years, the healthcare industry has been turning greater attention to the need to engage or involve patients in developing new technologies and systems to improve healthcare delivery. These patient engagement...more
• Life sciences companies are subject to rapidly changing regulatory obligations, government enforcement, and increasing public scrutiny. • Conducting effective legal and regulatory due diligence can mean uncovering risks...more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced that Montana’s Kalispell Regional Healthcare System (KRH) and six subsidiaries and related entities agreed to pay $24 million to resolve allegations that they violated the...more
On Aug. 7, 2018, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of a whistleblower case brought under the federal False Claims Act. The principal grounds for affirmance was a finding that the employee exemption to...more