By Mani Dabiri | Published October 4, 2019 | Posted in Civil Business Litigation and Investigations, Federal and State Criminal Defense, Government Subpoenas and Investigations, White-Collar and Regulatory Defense | Tagged Tags: antikickbackstatutes, departmentofjustice, DNAtesting, DOJ, healthandhumanservices, healthcare, HHS, insurancefraud, medicareandmedicaid, telemedicine |
The Lure of Free Cancer Screenings
Last week, the U.S. Justice Department announced a major takedown of telemedicine that it says went too far. It’s among the bigger healthcare-fraud sweeps to date: 35 people charged with over $2.1 billion in false or fraudulent bills. The defendants hail from telemedicine companies and genetic-testing labs and include nine physicians. They reportedly billed Medicare for tens Read More
Read MoreFeds Raise Healthcare Penalties Again
If you’re a healthcare provider who takes Medicare or another federal program, take note. We didn’t get a government shutdown, but the budget law from last week more than doubled the civil and criminal penalties you face when the government accuses you of fraud, waste, or abuse. To see for yourself, click the link and scroll all Read More
Read MoreNew DOJ Policy on Foreign Business Bribery
On the eve of the fortieth anniversary of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Justice Department has unveiled a policy that strongly encourages businesses to self-report any violations to the government on their own. Those that do can presume that the government won’t prosecute them criminally as long as they fix the problem timely and cooperate fully. That’s probably good Read More
Read MoreCMS Puts Out New Physician Self-Referral Disclosure Protocol
If you’re a healthcare provider or supplier, take note. Starting June 1, 2017, there is a new process for self-reporting actual or potential violations of the Stark Law to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Remember, Stark says that doctors can’t refer certain, designated health services that are payable by Medicare or Medicaid to entities in which they have a financial interest. Read More
Read MoreAnother Massive Medicare-Fraud Roundup
In case you missed it, two weeks ago, the federal Medicare Fraud Strike Force announced a nationwide sweep that ensnared 243 people for their alleged participation in fraudulent schemes to bill Medicare over $700 million. The individual cases are not all related, but the coordinated takedown was the largest we’ve seen so far—both in the number of targets and in the Read More
Read MoreYou Can Go Your Own Way
Go your own way, if you must, but in whistleblower cases, it’s better to have a partner, especially when that partner is the Department of Justice. Under the whistleblower, or qui tam, provisions of the False Claims Act, citizens may sue on behalf of the government, and if they do, they stand to collect anywhere from 15-30% of the recovery. That can Read More
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