FCA Federal

July 24, 2017

Myra Gross, a former patient of Dr. James Norman, owner of Florida-based Norman Parathyroid Center, and her husband Dr. David Gross, will receive a whistleblower award of roughly $600,000 from the $4 million Dr. Norman agreed to pay to resolve allegations he violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for pre-operative examination services for which he had already received payment from the government.  DOJ (MDFL)

July 24, 2017

New Jersey-based pharmaceutical manufacturer Celgene Corp. agreed to pay $280 million to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by promoting two cancer treatment drugs -- Thalomid and Revlimid -- for uses not approved by the FDA.  The allegations included the use of false and misleading statements about the drugs, and paying kickbacks to physicians to induce them to prescribe the drugs.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by former Celgene sales manager Beverly Brown.  She will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the proceeds of the government's recovery.  DOJ (CDCA)

July 17, 2017

Former Olympia Therapy Inc. employee Vladimir Trakhter and former Tridia Hospice Care Inc. employees Paula Bourne and La’Tasha Goodwin will collectively receive a whistleblower award of more than $3.6 million from the roughly $19.5 million Olympia, Tridia and Foundations Health Solutions Inc. agreed to pay to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by submitting to Medicare claims for medically unnecessary rehabilitation therapy services and for hospice services to patients not eligible for the Medicare benefit, and by soliciting and receiving kickbacks to refer patients from their skilled nursing facilities to home health care provider Amber Home Care LLC.

July 17, 2017

New York-based home health care company Visiting Nurse Service of New York and its subsidiaries VNS Choice and VNS Choice Community Care agreed to pay roughly $4.4 million to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by improperly collecting monthly Medicaid payments for 365 Medicaid beneficiaries whom VNS Choice failed to timely disenroll from the VNS Choice Managed Long-Term Care Plan.  Once VNS disenrolled the members, it did not repay Medicaid for the funds it had improperly received. By knowingly retaining overpayments for many of these members for more than 60 days, the VNS entities violated both the federal and state false claim acts. As a result, New York State will receive $2.63 million as part of the settlement agreement.The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by an undisclosed whistleblower.  The whistleblower will receive an undisclosed whistleblower award from the proceeds of the government's recovery.  DOJ (SDNY)  NY

July 6, 2017

Cathy Morris and Josie King, former employees of Compassionate Care Hospice of Atlanta, will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the $24 million the company and its parent Compassionate Care Hospice Group, Inc. agreed to pay to resolve charges they violated the False Claims Act and Stark Law by engaging in improper financial relationships with contracted physicians to induce them to refer patients.  DOJ (NDGA)

July 6, 2017

Maureen Fox and Cathy Gonzales, former employees of now-defunct Home Care Hospice, Inc., will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the millions of dollars to be paid by the owners of the company to settle charges they falsely billed for hospice services that were either unnecessary or never provided.  DOJ (EDPA)

July 6, 2017

Whistleblowers will receive an award of more than $350,000 from the $2 million Pennsylvania hospice company Compassionate Care of Gwynedd Inc. agreed to pay to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by providing unnecessary hospice services.  DOJ (DNJ)