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Catch of the Week: Detroit Medical Center

Posted  06/2/23
Handshake in room with dark window blinds
This week's Department of Justice (DOJ) "Catch of the Week" goes to Detroit Medical Center, Vanguard Health Systems, and Tenet Healthcare.  On Wednesday, they agreed to pay roughly $30 million to settle government and whistleblower charges of violating the False Claims Act by providing kickbacks to certain referring physicians.  It is just the latest in a string of False Claims Act settlements concerning kickbacks...

Healthcare Fraud Jury Verdict Demonstrates DOJ’s Commitment to Prosecuting Kickbacks

Posted  03/13/23
Very few cases ever filed reach jury trial. The vast majority are dismissed or settle long before that stage. This trend is particularly true for cases filed under the False Claims Act (FCA), where defendants face treble damages and penalties if they are found liable at trial.  In FCA trials where the Government and/or whistleblower prevails, the judge, unbeknownst to the jury, is required to triple the amount of...

Top Ten Healthcare Fraud Recoveries of 2021

Posted  01/11/22
doctor holding stethoscope
Consistent with the trend in prior years, the bulk of the Justice Department’s fraud and false claims recoveries in 2021 stemmed from healthcare fraud matters. Most of the funds recovered arose from cases originated by whistleblowers under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The majority of the recoveries on this list involve allegations of violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, a federal law that...

Top Ten Whistleblower Awards of 2021

Posted  01/6/22
Red Whistle with People
2021 was another banner year for whistleblowers, who once again collectively recovered billions of dollars for the government and hundreds of millions of dollars in whistleblower rewards under the various government whistleblower programs.  This includes awards under the qui tam provisions of the federal False Claims Act and various state False Claims Act programs.  It includes awards under the Dodd-Frank SEC...

Recent Settlements Show Kickbacks are Always a DOJ Enforcement Priority

Posted  11/15/21
Person Handing Hundred Dollar Bill to Another Person
The Department of Justice regularly highlights the areas of fraudulent conduct it intends to target as enforcement priorities.  These identified enforcement priorities tend to cover burgeoning areas of fraud or particular misbehavior especially ripe or prevalent because of the particular times we live in.  As might be expected, DOJ's current listing of priorities includes fraud related to the pandemic, opioids, the

Catch of the Week: Bayada Home Health Care Settles Kickback Allegations for $17 Million in Case Demonstrating that Kickbacks Come in Many Forms

Posted  09/17/21
business person stamping a paper
Last week, Bayada Home Health Care, Inc., a national home health company with more than $1.5 billion in reported revenues and offices in twenty-two states, agreed to pay the United States $17 million to settle allegations that it violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS).  The AKS prohibits paying illegal remuneration in any form to induce business or referrals paid for with federal health care dollars, and...

Catch of the Week: Florida Lab Owner Pleads Guilty to $73 Million Telemedicine Fraud Scheme

Posted  09/3/21
telemedicine doctor on computer with patient
Editor’s Note: For this week’s biggest story, the record $90 million settlement secured by a Constantine Cannon client against Sutter Health, read more here.
Healthcare fraudsters have a track record of exploiting health crises for personal gain. The COVID-19 pandemic created new telemedicine opportunities for patients to receive care without having to see doctors in person. As expected, fraudsters seized on...

Catch of the Week: Waived Copayments and “Free” Glucometers Result in $160 Million Recovery in Whistleblower Action Against Previously-Barred Arriva Medical

Posted  08/4/21
Woman using glucometer and diabetes testing strips
Mail-order diabetes supply company Arriva Medical has agreed to pay $160 million to resolve a False Claims Act case filed in 2013 by a whistleblower who worked for ten months in one of the company’s call centers.  The government intervened in the whistleblower’s action in early 2019, and the case had been set for trial in June 2022. The settlement is the latest in a long string of actions against Arriva and...

Catch of the Week: EEG Testing Company and Private-Investment Company to Pay $15.3M for Kickback and False-Billing Allegations

Posted  07/23/21
man holding money in hand and another hand with one finger over mouth
Whistleblowers came forward with six False Claims Act actions against a national EEG testing company and an investment company for allegedly paying kickbacks and falsely billing government healthcare programs.  Texas-based provider Alliance Family of Companies (now Stratus) and private investor Ancor Holdings together will pay $15.3 million to resolve the cases. For their actions in coming forward, two...

Fifth Circuit Affirms Government Dismissal Of Cases Brought By Corporate Whistleblower

Posted  07/16/21
gavel on bench
Last week, a three-judge panel of the Court of the Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sided with the government in its bid to dismiss a whistleblower case brought by a limited liability company against pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Bayer.  The case offers another example of the government flexing its dismissal power in the wake of the Granston Memo, a 2018 Department of Justice directive to winnow False Claims Act...
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