The Risks of Healthcare Speaker Programs
Episode 173 -- Review of HHS-OIG Fraud Alert for Speaker Programs
In today’s heightened enforcement environment, compliance auditing isn’t just a best practice—it’s a necessity. Federal and state laws and industry guidance, including the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Compliance Program...more
Staying up-to-date with fraud enforcement trends and recent cases and settlements can sometimes be viewed as a “Glass Half Empty” perspective, focusing on negative aspects of the industry and the perceived threat of...more
Several days ago, Biogen Inc. announced that it had reached a settlement to resolve a whistleblower lawsuit under the False Claims Act (FCA). Relator’s claims were based on allegations that Biogen’s speaker and consultant...more
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) – a leading lobbying and advocacy group for drug manufacturers – has released an updated version of its “Code on Interactions with Health Care Professionals”...more
On Friday, August 6, 2021, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the preeminent trade association representing pharmaceutical companies, announced revisions to its Code on Interactions with Health Care...more
On February 11, 2020, AGG’s Government Investigations practice chairs, Aaron M. Danzig and Sara M. Lord, conducted a webinar, titled “Life Sciences Investigations and Enforcement Actions: 2020 Year in Review and 2021...more
This year saw substantial activity in FCA settlements and litigated court cases. Although no single case or development dominated the discourse this year, several important court decisions were issued, including two that may...more
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“DHHS OIG”) recently issued a Special Fraud Alert regarding fraud and abuse concerns related to speaker programs offered by pharmaceutical and medical...more
On November 16, 2020, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), issued a Special Fraud Alert highlighting the Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) risks for pharmaceutical...more
On November 16, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a Special Fraud Alert (Alert) regarding speaker programs sponsored by pharmaceutical and medical device companies....more
In a far-reaching action, the Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) issued a Special Fraud Alert underscoring the “inherent fraud and abuse risks” associated with company-sponsored speaker...more
On November 16, 2020, OIG issued a significant Special Fraud Alert that warns about certain “inherent” fraud and abuse risks raised by speaker programs sponsored by pharmaceutical and medical device companies. OIG expressed...more
In the midst of the pandemic emergency, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a stern warning about in-person educational programs for health care professionals (HCPs), known as...more
Lavish “speaker programs” sponsored by pharmaceutical and medical-device companies may soon be a thing of the past—and not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a 16 November 2020 Special Fraud Alert (Alert) issued by the...more
On November 16, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) took a shot across the bow of the healthcare industry when it published a Special Fraud Alert highlighting some of the fraud and...more
Exploring the Implications of HHS-OIG’s Special Fraud Alert and Groundbreaking Novartis CIA Requirements on Compliance Program Policies and Controls that Govern Speaker Programs - A Special Fraud Alert issued by the U.S....more
Earlier this week, the Office of Inspector General OIG issued a Special Fraud Alert (Alert) on speaker programs by pharmaceutical and medical device companies in connection with the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. In the...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a Special Fraud Alert on November 16, warning that speaker programs organized by pharmaceutical and medical device companies pose...more
On November 16, 2020, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) issued a Special Fraud Alert addressing the fraud and abuse risks of speaker programs that are commonplace in the...more
In a Special Fraud Alert issued on November 16, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) raised significant fraud and abuse concerns with companies offering or providing...more
On November 16, 2020, the U.S. Health & Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a rare Special Fraud Alert – a type of guidance historically used to signal enforcement priorities – “to highlight certain...more
On November 16th, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a new Special Fraud Alert warning against participation in some so-called Speaker Programs, either by accepting remuneration for speaking at these programs or...more
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a Special Fraud Alert on November 16, 2020 (the Alert) regarding a common practice within the pharmaceutical and medical device...more
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Novartis) recently entered into a civil settlement agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve allegations that the company paid health care practitioners (HCPs) who spoke...more