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 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
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
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