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August 26, 2021

SuperCare Health, Inc., which provides home respiratory services and DME, will pay $3.3 million to resolve claims that the company submitted false claims for non-invasive ventilators in cases where those patients were no longer using the NIVs.  The case was initiated by the filing a whistleblower complaint by a former SuperCare respiratory therapist, Benjamin Martinez.  Mr. Martinez will receive a $612,000 whistleblower reward from the federal government.  USAO CD Cal

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

August 2, 2021

Diabetic testing supply company Arriva Medical LLC and its parent company Alere Inc. will pay $160 million to resolve claims first brought in a whistleblower case alleging that Arriva provided unlawful patient inducements in the form of “free” or “no cost” glucometers and copayment waivers.  Defendants were alleged to have systematically provided all new patients with glucometers, and billed Medicare for those meters, although Medicare beneficiaries are only eligible for a new meter once every five years.  In addition, Arriva was alleged to have billed Medicare for deceased beneficiaries.  The whistleblower, Gregory Goodman, who was an employee at an Arriva call center, will receive a whistleblower award of $28.5 million.  Executives at Arriva previously agreed to a settlement of claims against them.  DOJ; USAO MD Tenn

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Medicare, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

July 8, 2021

Medical supply company Avanos Medical Inc. entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and will pay $22.2 million to resolve charges that it sold misbranded surgical gowns, labeling the MicroCool gowns as providing the highest level of fluid and virus protection under ANSI/AAMI standards, when the company knew the gowns had never met that standard.  The government also alleged that Avanos obstructed FDA inspection efforts.  ND Tex

Tagged in: Criminal Proceedings, FDA Fraud, Medical Devices and DME,

July 8, 2021

Alere Inc. and Alere San Diego Inc. have agreed to pay nearly $39 million to settle allegations of knowingly selling defective blood coagulation monitors, which are used to determine safe dosages of anticoagulant drugs, to Medicare beneficiaries.  Too much anticoagulant could result in massive bleeding, while too little can result in blood clots and strokes.  By 2008, Alere had allegedly become aware of the fact that the software used in its INRatio monitors contained a material defect that caused some patients to see inaccurate results.  Although the company was also aware of dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries associated with the devices, it failed to take them off the market and even continued to bill Medicare for them, in violation of the False Claims Act, until the FDA requested a Class I recall in 2016.  USAO NJ

Tagged in: Defective Products, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Medicare,

June 11, 2021

Two integrative chiropractic practices in Pennsylvania and their chiropractor owners have agreed to pay over $800,000 to resolve liability under the False Claims Act in connection with an electro-acupuncture device.  The settling parties are Discover Optimal Healthcare, affiliate Weigner Healthcare Management Group, LLC, and owner Jason Weigner (collectively, “Weigner”), and Yucha Medical Pain Management & Chiropractic Rehabilitation, LLC, and owners Randolph Yucha and Rodney Gabel.  Between 2016 and 2017, the parties allegedly billed Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program for the surgical implantation of neuro-stimulators, even though the devices involved—ANSiStim—are not reimbursable and can be applied with adhesives.  USAO EDPA

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Medicare, Other Government Health Programs, Provider Fraud,

June 10, 2021

Three Texas-based healthcare providers who allegedly billed Medicare for non-reimbursable procedures involving electro-acupuncture devices have agreed to pay over $1 million in settle their liability under the False Claims Act.  For up to two years, each of the providers—Ledger Foot & Ankle, P.A., SPR Medical Group d/b/a Superior Physical Medicine, and Precision Spine and Pain Management—allegedly billed the application of two pain management devices, ANSiStim and STIVAX, as though they were implantable neurostimulators, when in fact their application was non-surgical and non-invasive.  Following a Medicare audit, Superior and Precision self-disclosed improperly billed claims and initiated refund payments to Medicare.  USAO WDTX

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Medicare, Provider Fraud,

June 8, 2021

The chiropractor owner and operator of Texas-based Campbell Medical Group PLLC and Johnson Medical Group PLLC d/b/a Campbell Medical Clinic has agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle claims that she and the entities defrauded Medicare and TRICARE.  As part of the settlement, Suhyun An and her medical entities will be excluded from participating in federal healthcare programs for ten years.  Ms. An and the medical entities allegedly improperly obtained over $3.9 million in reimbursement for unbillable implantations of neurostimulator electrodes.  USAO SDTX

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Medicare, Other Government Health Programs,

May 25, 2021

Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS), which operates dental clinics in New York and Pennsylvania, has agreed to pay $2.7 million to resolve whistleblower-brought allegations of submitting false claims to Medicaid in violation of the federal and New York False Claims Acts.  Between 2010 and 2015, UAHS had billed Medicaid for dental services performed using improperly sterilized handpieces, which are considered semi-critical devices and need to be properly heat sterilized between patients.  AG NY; USAO WDNY; USAO WDPA

Tagged in: FCA Federal, FCA State, Healthcare Fraud, Medicaid, Medical Devices and DME, Provider Fraud, Whistleblower Case,

May 19, 2021

In one of the first settlements to resolve allegations under both the False Claims Act and the Open Payments Program (formerly the “Sunshine Act”), French medical device manufacturer Medicrea International and its American affiliate, Medicrea USA Inc., have agreed to pay $2 million to resolve whistleblower Dory Frain’s allegations that the companies violated the Anti-Kickback Statute while entertaining U.S.-based physicians at a conference in France in 2013.  The settlement also resolves allegations that the companies violated the Open Payments Program by failing to report those expenses to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.  USAO EDPA; CA AG; FL AG

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, FCA State, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Whistleblower Case,

April 19, 2021

Maryland physician Njideka Udochi of Millennium Family Practice will pay $660,000 to resolve allegations that she submitted false claims for auricular stimulation, or "P-Stim," devices.  Udochi billed Medicare using a billing code covering the surgical implantation of a type of neurostimulator, but P-Stim devices are not surgically implanted, and are not approved for reimbursement from Medicare.  USAO MD

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Provider Fraud, Upcoding,

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