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December 21, 2020

DME provider Apria Healthcare Group, Inc. and Apria Healthcare LLC will pay $40.5 million to settle allegations brought in a qui tam action filed by three former Apria employees that they improperly billed government healthcare programs for beneficiary rentals of non-invasive ventilators (“NIVs”) that were not medically necessary or which were provided with improper waivers of patient co-payments.  Medicare pays as much as $1,400 a month for NIVs, and providers are required to monitor patient usage of NIVs and stop billing when the NIVs are no longer being used.  Apria respiratory therapists failed to monitor patient NIV usage and even when Apria knew that patients were no longer using the NIVs, Apria often did not take steps to stop seeking payment.  In addition, Apria sales staff steered doctors and beneficiaries to use NIVs when less-expensive alternatives were available, and routinely waived co-payments for NIV patients without making an assessment of the patient’s financial need.  USAO SDNY; CA AG; FL AG

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medicaid, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Whistleblower Case,

December 21, 2020

Substance abuse treatment provider A.R.E.B.A.-CASRIEL, Inc. d/b/a Addiction Care Interventions Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers (“ACI”) and its owner, Steven Yohay, agreed to pay a total of $6 million to resolve federal and New York state claims that they defrauded Medicaid including through the payment of kickbacks and other fraudulent conduct in connection with the enrollment of Medicaid beneficiaries into ACI’s inpatient treatment program.  Defendants allegedly employed drivers who were compensated in part based on the number of patients they recruited, to target homeless individuals to enroll in ACI’s inpatient treatment program by offering food, cash, and money to purchase drugs, and/or alcohol. In addition, ACI unlawfully paid a patient recruiter, and enrolled Medicaid patients who had not been evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional, including by copying a physician’s signature.  The government’s investigation was initiated by a whistleblower complaint filed by a former employee, who will receive an undisclosed amount of the settlement.  USAO SDNY; NY

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, FCA State, Healthcare Fraud, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medicaid, Provider Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

December 18, 2020

Texas Heart Hospital of the Southwest LLP and its affiliate THHBP Management Company LLC will pay $48 million to resolve claims brought in a whistleblower suit by two of the hospitals’ physicians alleging that the defendants violated the False Claims Act, Stark Law, and Anti-Kickback Statute.  Agreements between the hospital and its physician-owners required the doctors to have 48 patient-contacts a year in order to maintain their ownership interests.  The U.S. did not intervene in the action; the whistleblowers, Dr. Mitchell Magee and Dr. Todd Dewey, will collectively receive $13.92 million, 29% of the total settlement, as a whistleblower reward.  DOJ

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Hospital Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

December 17, 2020

Pharmaceutical company Biogen Inc. agreed to pay $22 million, and specialty pharmacy Advanced Care Scripts agreed to pay $1.4 million, to resolve claims that they conspired to use two foundations, the Chronic Disease Fund and The Assistance Fund, as conduits to pay Medicare co-payments for patients taking Biogen’s MS drugs, Avonex and Tysabri, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.  The government alleged that Biogen coordinated with ACS to time its payments to the foundations and direct its money to cover co-pay costs for patients using its drugs.  DOJ; USAO MA

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, Drug and DME Pricing, FCA Federal, Pharma Fraud,

December 10, 2020

Teresita Lumanas Alquero, the former owner of Providence Home Health and Providence Hospice, agreed to pay $1.05 million to resolve False Claims Act claims first made in an action brought by a whistleblower that she paid improper kickbacks to the medical director of Providence.  The payments exceeded fair market value and were intended to induce the doctor to refer Medicare patients to Providence.  USAO SDTX

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Home Health and Hospice, Whistleblower Case,

December 10, 2020

Four affiliated jewelry importing companies – Roman & Sunstone LLC; ISTAR Jewelry LLC; Ansun Inc.; and Starkes Gems Inc. – agreed to pay $866,068 to resolve claims made in an action brought by a whistleblower under the False Claims Act that they evaded customs on earrings imported from China by misrepresenting the quantity imported.  The whistleblower will receive an award of approximately $152,000.  USAO MA

Tagged in: Customs Fraud, FCA Federal, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

December 4, 2020

Joint Active Systems, Inc. (JAS), a durable medical equipment manufacturer, and New England Orthotics & Prosthetics, LLP (NEOPS) have agreed to pay $1.59 million and $90,000 respectively to resolve allegations of defrauding multiple federal healthcare programs—including TRICARE, Medicare, and Medicaid programs in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island—through a variety of fraudulent schemes.  According to a qui tam suit filed by two former NEOPS employees, JAS allegedly recruited NEOPS to bill Medicare and Medicaid for custom-fabricated orthotics that were not custom-fabricated orthotics, nor medically necessary, and falsely claim that JAS-affiliated sales representatives were properly trained to treat patients during fittings.  Additionally, JAS allegedly overcharged the VA for its devices by as much as 300%.  For blowing the whistle on these fraud schemes, the whistleblowers will receive a 17% share of the settlement proceeds.  USAO MA

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Improper Medical Personnel, Medicaid, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Other Government Health Programs, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

December 3, 2020

Workrite Ergonomics LLC and its parent company, Knape & Vogt Manufacturing Co., have agreed to pay $7.1 million to resolve a qui tam suit brought by a former sales manager, Michael Franchek, which alleged that Workrite overcharged the federal government for office furniture purchased under General Services Administration (GSA) contracts.  Workrite allegedly failed to provide GSA, and state agencies that relied on GSA's pricing, with accurate information during contract negotiations, and failed to extend lower prices to government customers as required by contract provisions.  As part of the settlement, Franchek will receive a relator’s share of $1.27 million.  DOJ; USAO NDCA; CA

Tagged in: Contract Non-Compliance, FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

November 24, 2020

Florida-based Doctor’s Choice Home Care, Inc. and its founders and former top executives Timothy Beach and Stuart Christensen have agreed to pay a combined $5.15 million to settle qui tam suits filed under the False Claims Act by former employees—one by Corina Herbold, and the other by Sara Billings, Misty Sykes, and Marina Eschoyez-Quiroga.  In violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, the home health agency had allegedly set up sham medical director agreements with physicians to pay them for referrals, linked employee bonuses to referrals made by physician spouses, and provided medically unnecessary services to Medicare patients in order to avoid decreased reimbursements triggered by fewer than five skilled service visits.  To settle the allegations, Doctor’s Choice will pay over $4.5 million, while Beach and Christensen will pay $647,000 each.  Billings, Sykes, and Eschoyez-Quiroga will jointly receive $145,000 of the settlement proceeds; Herbold’s share has yet to be determined.  DOJ; USAO MDFL

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medical Billing Fraud, Medicare, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

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