Archive

January 11, 2017

Ireland-based Shire Pharmaceuticals LLC and certain subsidiaries agreed to pay $350 million to settle charges that Shire and the company it acquired in 2011, Advanced BioHealing violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by using kickbacks and other unlawful methods to induce clinics and physicians to use or overuse their “Dermagraft” skin product. It is the largest False Claims Act recovery in a kickback case involving a medical device, and resolves claims brought by the federal government along with 37 states and the District of Columbia. The States will receive $6,104,000 for the State share of the Medicaid program. According to the government, Dermagraft salespersons unlawfully induced clinics and physicians with lavish dinners, drinks, entertainment and travel; medical equipment and supplies; unwarranted payments for purported speaking engagements and bogus case studies; and cash, credits and rebates. The allegations originated in six lawsuits filed brought by whistleblowers in, or transferred to, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Two of the qui tam actions named New York and other states and included allegations that Shire submitted or caused to be submitted false claims to the Medicaid program under federal and state False Claims Acts. The whistleblowers will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the proceeds of the government recovery. Whistleblower Insider, NY, FL

January 12, 2017

Texas announced a settlement with MB2 Dental Solutions (MB2) and 21 affiliated pediatric dental practices. MB2 agreed to pay the United States and the State of Texas $8.45 million for alleged violations of the federal False Claims Act (FCA) and the Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act (TMFPA). Three lawsuits were resolved with this settlement alleging that MB2 knowingly submitted claims for children’s dental services which were either not performed or were provided after false identification was used. The claims also involved illegal kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries and their families, marketers and marketing entities. The allegations were brought to the attention of the U.S. and Texas authorities by whistleblowers who filed one lawsuit under the FCA and two under the TMFPA. TX

January 12, 2017

New York announced the indictment and arraignment of attorney Anthony Cornachio, 74, of Garden City as well as the indictment and arraignment of NRI Group, LLC. (“NRI”) and Canarsie A.W.A.R.E., Inc. (“Canarsie”), both Medicaid-enrolled drug treatment programs companies controlled by Cornachio. Also announced was the indictment and arraignment of three-quarter housing operators Yury Baumblit, 66, and Rimma Baumblit, 60, of Brooklyn, and their company Back on Track Group, Inc. In papers unsealed in New York State Supreme Court, Kings County, prosecutors allege that Yury Baumblit and Rimma Baumblit, in exchange for payments from Cornachio’s companies, forced residents of their three-quarter homes to attend treatment at NRI and Canarsie regardless of the residents’ actual need for drug treatment services or face eviction. All of the residences leased by Back on Track Group, Inc. and operated by Yury Baumblit and Rimma Baumblit as three-quarter homes were located in Kings County. During the course of this scheme, which dates back to at least 2013, Cornachio allegedly paid Back on Track Group, Inc. over $900,000.00 in illegal kickbacks. As a result of this kickback scheme, prosecutors allege that Cornachio, through NRI and Canarsie, submitted, and caused to be submitted, at least $1.7 million in false claims for reimbursement to Medicaid. These claims, prosecutors allege, were fraudulent because they resulted from illegal kickbacks and were often medically unnecessary. NY

December 15, 2016

Raciel Leon, manager of Mercy Home Care Inc. and a billing employee for D&D&D Home Health Care Inc. was convicted for his role in a $2.5 million Medicare fraud scheme. According to evidence presented at trial, Leon and his co-conspirators used the companies to submit false claims to Medicare that were based on services that were not medically necessary, not actually provided and for patients that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks to doctors and patient recruiters.  DOJ

December 15, 2016

New York City-based Forest Laboratories LLC and its subsidiary Forest Pharmaceuticals Inc. agreed to pay $38 million to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by paying kickbacks to induce physicians to prescribe the drugs Bystolic, Savella and Namenda.  According to the government, Forest provided payments and meals to certain physicians in connection with speaker programs about the drugs as improper inducements to prescribe them.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by former Forest employee Kurt Kroening under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  He will receive a whistleblower award of approximately $7.8 million from the proceeds of the government’s recovery.  Whistleblower Insider

December 2, 2016

Vitas Health Corporation Midwest and related entities agreed to pay $200,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute by paying Dr. Farid Fata for patient referrals to its hospice care services.  In an earlier unrelated criminal matter, Fata pleaded guilty to health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks and promotional money laundering, and was sentenced to a term of 45 years in prison.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Rita Dubois who worked at Vitas as the Director of Market Development in Southeastern Michigan.  Dubois will receive a whistleblower award of $36,000 from the proceeds of the government's recovery.  DOJ (EDMI)

November 15, 2016

New Jersey-based remote cardiac monitoring company MedNet Inc., and a subsidiary of BioTelemetry Inc., agreed to pay more than $1.35 million to resolve allegations that it paid kickbacks to induce physicians to use the company’s cardiac monitoring services.  According to the government, from March 2006 through January 2014, before BioTelemetry acquired MedNet, MedNet entered into “fee-for-service” or “direct-bill” agreements with certain hospital and physician clinic customers which allowed them to bill Medicare directly for these same services and retain the reimbursements they received which exceeded the fees that MedNet charged them.  The government alleged that the remuneration MedNet provided in connection with the agreements was illegal remuneration under the Anti-Kickback Statute.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  DOJ (DNJ)

November 11, 2016

Marie Neba, co-owner of Houston-based home-health agency Fiango Home Healthcare Inc., was convicted for her role in a $13 million Medicare fraud and money laundering scheme.  According to the evidence presented at trial and admissions made in the guilty plea of her husband and co-owner Ebong Tilong, Neba and Tilong paid illegal kickbacks to physicians in exchange for authorizing medically unnecessary home-health services for Medicare beneficiaries.  They also paid illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters for referring Medicare beneficiaries for home-health services and to Medicare beneficiaries for allowing them to bill Medicare using their Medicare information for home-health services that were not medically necessary or not provided.  Neba and Tilong also falsified medical records to make it appear as though the Medicare beneficiaries qualified for and received home-health services.  DOJ

October 25, 2016

Kansas City-based Best Choice Home Health Care Agency Inc. and its owner Reginald King agreed to pay $1.8 million to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks for the referral of Medicaid-covered patients for home and community-based healthcare services.  According to the government, King paid kickbacks to patient transporter Christopher Thomas for referrals to Best Choice.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Thomas under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  Thomas will receive a whistleblower reward of $43,178, which represents 10 percent of the federal share of the settlement minus the amount he received in kickbacks.  DOJ

October 21, 2016

Mark Gilmore, owner of Florida compound pharmacy QMedRx, agreed to pay $4.25 million to settle charges that he violated the False Claims Act by billing the government for services that were not reimbursable.  Specifically, the government contends that QMedRx submitted to federal healthcare programs compounded prescriptions that were tainted within the meaning of the Anti-Kickback Statute. The government is still pursuing penalties and fines from other participants within QMedRx.  DOJ (MDFL)