Whistleblower News From The Inside — March 25, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team France fines Google over “right to be forgotten” -- France’s data-protection regulator has slapped a fine on Alphabet Inc.’s Google for not implementing Europe’s “right to be forgotten” globally, rejecting a compromise offered by the search firm and setting up a court battle over the scope of the divisive rule.  WSJ Last of five defendants pleads guilty in home health fraud --  Muhammad Tariq,...

Whistleblower News From The Inside — March 23, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Study shows tie between prescriptions and doctor payments – Despite longstanding claims by physicians that payments or benefits from drug companies do not influence their decisions on prescribing drugs, a recent study suggests that benefits as small as a free lunch can radically alter how doctors prescribe pharmaceuticals.  The Atlantic Respironics Inc. settles False Claims Act lawsuit for $34.8 million – The company agreed...

Whistleblower News From The Inside — March 22, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Miami Man Pleads Guilty to Multimillion-Dollar Scheme to Defraud Commercial Lenders and U.S. Export-Import Bank – The defendant pled guilty to wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering relating to his scheme to create false invoices and sell them to commercial lenders.  The defendant also used the fake invoices to get loans that ultimately defaulted, causing $11 million...

Whistleblower News From The Inside — March 21, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Senators Push for Whistleblower Protections for Hill Staff -- A bipartisan trio of senators introduced a bill Friday that would protect congressional staff who alert authorities to wrongdoing. Roll Call New Orleans Jury Convicts Company Owner and Doctor for Roles in $34 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme – The defendants billed Medicare for home health care services that were not needed and/or were not provided. ...

March 8, 2016

21st Century Oncology Inc., the nation’s largest physician led integrated cancer care provider, and its wholly owned subsidiary South Florida Radiation Oncology agreed to pay $34.7 million to settle charges they violated the False Claims Act by performing and billing for cancer care procedures that were not medically necessary or properly provided. According to the government, the companies improperly billed for Gamma function procedures — which measure radiation doses —...

March 7, 2016

Florida businessman David Brock Lovelace was sentenced to 174 months in prison and to pay $2,512,460 in restitution for his role in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud and money laundering scheme.  According to evidence presented at trial, Lovelace and co-conspirators used Cornerstone Health Specialists, Summit Health Specialists and Coastal Health Specialists, three purported medical clinics in Florida, to submit to Medicare more than $12 million in fraudulent claims for radiology,...

DOJ Catch of the Week -- 21st Century Oncology

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team This week's Department of Justice "Catch of the Week" goes to 21st Century Oncology Inc., the nation’s largest physician led integrated cancer care provider.  On Tuesday, the Florida-based company and its wholly owned subsidiary South Florida Radiation Oncology agreed to pay $34.7 million to settle charges they violated the False Claims Act by performing and billing for cancer care procedures that were not medically...

Whistleblower News From The Inside — March 8, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Raytheon must face $1 billion whistleblower lawsuit -- The 9th Circuit overturned a district court's dismissal of a False Claims Act suit "accusing the defense contractor of fraudulently overbilling the U.S. government under a contract to develop a weather sensor for a costly environmental satellite system."  Reuters Maybe too big to jail, but never too small -- Gordon Schnell writes on the current state...

March 2, 2016

Mark T. Conklin, the former owner and operator of Florida-based Recovery Home Care Inc. and Recovery Home Care Services Inc. (RHC) agreed to pay $1.75 million to resolve charges of violating the False Claims Act by paying illegal kickbacks to doctors who agreed to refer Medicare patients to RHC for home health care services.  Conklin sold RHC to National Home Care Holdings in October 2012.   According to the government, Conklin...

March 1, 2016

Olympus Corp. of America, the country’s largest distributor of endoscopes and related equipment, agreed to pay $623.2 million to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute through a scheme to pay kickbacks to doctors and hospitals.  It is the largest payout ever by a medical device company for violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.  In addition, Olympus subsidiary Olympus Latin America Inc. also agreed to pay $22.8...