Archive

DOJ Catch of the Week - St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team This week's Department of Justice "Catch of the Week" goes to St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center.  On Monday, the Central New York hospital agreed to pay $3.2 million to resolve allegations it violated the federal False Claims Act and New York False Claims Act by billing the state Medicaid program for mental health services provided by unqualified staff.  See DOJ Press...

DOJ Catch of the Week -- Lexington Medical Center

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team This week's Department of Justice "Catch of the Week" goes to the Lexington County Health Services District Inc. (d/b/a Lexington Medical Center).  Yesterday, the South Carolina hospital agreed to pay $17 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act and the Physician Self-Referral Law (known as the Stark Law) by maintaining improper financial arrangements...

DOJ’s Adventist Settlement Puts the Power of Whistleblowers in “Stark” Relief

By Tim McCormack and Molly Knobler (published on SCCE’s Compliance and Ethics Blog) There is no denying that certain aspects of the Physician Self-Referral Law, more commonly known as the “Stark Law,” are complicated. The Stark Law and its corresponding regulatory scheme include a web of technical terms, safe harbors, and interpretive guidance.   Is this complexity a necessary byproduct of the...

Barker Decision Extends Attorney-Client Privilege Waiver to False Claims Act Cases

The attorney-client privilege is perhaps the most critical component of the attorney-client relationship.  As the Supreme Court declared in its landmark Upjohn decision, the privilege exists "to encourage full and frank communication between attorneys and their clients and thereby promote broader public interests in the observation of law and administration of justice."  As most would agree, without the privilege...