Whistleblower Insider Blog

OIG Identifies Fraud as Top Challenge in 2023 HHS Annual Report - Bring on the Whistleblowers

Posted 11/21/23

Person with Magnifying Glass and Pen Examining Stack of Papers

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) just released its 2023 Annual Report on its Top Management and Performance Challenges for the past year. Among the key challenges OIG identified is better protecting HHS programs -- Medicare and Medicaid being chief among them -- from fraud, waste, and abuse. No big surprise as this is a perennial challenge for the federal...

Tagged in: Healthcare Fraud, Medicaid, Medicare,

Caught in the Crosshairs - Lone Star Organic Dairy

Posted 11/20/23

As described in a PETA press release last week (November 16), a whistleblower alerted the animal protection group to what it describes as "extreme animal suffering and mass deaths" at Texas dairy farm Lone Star Organic Dairy. Lone Star has roughly 2,300 cows and supplies milk to Horizon Organic, the largest organic milk supplier in the country. In response to the whistleblower's outreach, PETA sent a letter to the...

Tagged in: Environmental Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Wildlife Fraud,

In Their Own Words. . . .Sam Lebovic

Posted 11/20/23

"[I]t is easier . . . to debate the character of the [whistleblower] than to try to make sense of the substantive political issues they reveal, which are by definition complex and controversial. But when the inevitable next leaker comes along, we should not take this easy road. . . . Rather than debating the personality of the discloser, we should debate the political significance of what was disclosed." Sam...

Tagged in: In Their Own Words,

Caught in the Crosshairs - Department of Veteran Affairs

Posted 11/17/23

As reported this week in Military Times, a group of whistleblowers have complained of significant failings in the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) suicide prevention hotline. According to the article, the Veterans Crisis Line has rapidly expanded in recent years, growing from roughly 900 employees in 2021 to more than 1,800 employees today. At the same time, however, there has been an equally dramatic rise in...

Tagged in: Other Government Health Programs,

$45.6 Million Settlement in False Claims Act Case Against Nursing Facility Defendants

Posted 11/17/23

Nurse Holding Clipboard in Front of Nursing Patient

The DOJ recently announced another settlement of a False Claims Act case against skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This time, it was a $45.6 million settlement of a False Claims Act case that the government brought against six SNFs; a management company called Paksn Inc.; and Prema Thekkek, the owner. The six SNFs do business as (i) Bay Point Healthcare Center (Kayal Inc.); (ii) Gateway Care & Rehabilitation...

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

In Their Own Words. . . .Marie Terracol

Posted 11/8/23

"Whistleblowers regularly save lives, prevent environmental damages and help recover millions of [] much-needed public funds that would have been lost to corruption. It is essential that policymakers safeguard and empower whistleblowers to come forward and speak up in the public interest." Marie Terracol, Whistleblower Protection Lead at Transparency International, in connection with the organization's...

Tagged in: In Their Own Words,

CFTC’s 2023 Annual Report on Whistleblower Program Highlights Program’s Success and Important Role of Whistleblowers

Posted 11/3/23

The CFTC’s 2023 Annual Report to Congress on its whistleblower program highlights the success of the program and strongly reinforces the important role whistleblowers play in rooting out commodity frauds. The CFTC’s Whistleblower Program “provides monetary incentives to individuals who report possible violations of the Commodity Exchange Act that lead to a successful enforcement action,” and provides...

Why Cybersecurity Whistleblowers Should Be Treated as Friends, Not Foes

Posted 11/1/23

A very insightful article in Security Week explains the rise of cybersecurity whistleblowers and why corporations would be wise to welcome them with open arms. It may seem counterintuitive to embrace what many so readily dismiss as rabble-rousers or disgruntled employees getting in the way of business. But the higher truth, as the most experienced compliance professionals can attest, is that whistleblowers...

Tagged in: Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, Importance of Whistleblowers, Whistleblower Eligibility,

In Their Own Words. . . .CFTC Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero

Posted 11/1/23

"Whistleblowers play a vital role in supporting CFTC investigations related to fraud and other illegality. The CFTC could not fully protect customers and markets without whistleblowers. . . . The faster we can stop fraud, the more we can protect customers from harm." From Commissioner Goldsmith Romero's Statement on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Annual Report on its Whistleblower Program, which...

Tagged in: In Their Own Words,

In Their Own Words. . . .Igor Volovich

Posted 10/31/23

"A whistleblower is a canary in the mine. . . . They are essential for the continued safe operation of the mine." Igor Volovich, VP of compliance strategy at Qmulos, in Security Week article on the rise of cybersecurity whistleblowers and why companies would be best served by treating them as friends not foes.

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