The following is a summary of selected federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) reports of fraud and abuse enforcement activity across the country. The enforcement actions reported...more
The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recently announced two settlement agreements, both involving durable medical equipment (“DME”) companies, following allegations that the companies had violated the Anti-Kickback...more
The Department of Justice announced in a February 1, 2022 press release (Press Release) that it obtained more than $5.6 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims in the fiscal year...more
DOJ Files Complaint in AWP False Claims Act Suit Against Pharmaceutical Ingredient Seller - On November 8, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it intervened in a qui tam suit and filed a False Claims Act...more
St. Jude Medical Inc. (“St. Jude”), which was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2017, entered into a settlement last week with the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) for $27 million to resolve allegations it had...more
St. Jude Medical agreed to pay $27 million to settle False Claims Act charges that it knowingly sold a defective heart device to health care facilities. St. Jude was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in early 2017....more
For the past two years, telemedicine companies, durable medical equipment suppliers, pharmacies, and individuals and entities that market to such entities have been at the center of DOJ gunsights. In 2019, the Department...more
William F. Gould In United States v. Merino, No. 19-50291, 2021 WL 754589 (9th Cir. Feb. 26, 2021), the court of appeals reversed the conviction of Marina Merino of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in violation of 18...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
Medical device maker Merit Medical Systems (“MMS”) agreed to pay $18 million to resolve allegations that the company submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE by paying kickbacks to physicians and hospitals to...more
Medical Device Manufacturer Settles Improper Payment Allegations for $18 Million - Merit Medical Systems Inc. (MMSI), a Utah-based medical device maker, will pay $18 million to settle allegations that it engaged in a...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 28, no. 41 (November 18, 2019) - - North Carolina physician Damian Brezinski and his medical group, Wilmington Health, agreed to pay $244,000 to settle false claims allegations in connection...more
Medical Device Exec Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for $4.6 Million Kickback Scheme, Co-Conspirator Awaits Sentencing - On August 29, the Department of Justice announced that a Tennessee health care executive, Brenda...more
Today, the three federal agencies charged with regulating components of health information technology (“Health IT”) issued their long-awaited Health IT Report: Proposed Strategy and Recommendations for a Risk-Based Framework...more