Top Ten SEC and CFTC Whistleblower Awards for 2023
Posted 01/16/24
Whistleblower Case
This archive displays posts tagged as involving a whistleblower case or claim. You may also be interested in our pages:
Top Ten False Claims Act Recoveries in 2023
Posted 01/11/24
January 4, 2024
ChristianaCare has paid $42.5 million for violations of the federal False Claims Act and the Delaware False Claims and Reporting Act. In a qui tam whistleblower complaint filed in 2017, ChristianaCare's former chief compliance officer alleged illegal remuneration was provided to non-employee neonatologists and surgeons in the form of free or below fair market services by ancillary support providers, such as nurse practitioners, hospitalists, and physician assistants. These services were meant to induce referrals from the non-employees, creating a financial relationship. USAO DEDecember 22, 2023
Christiana Care Health System has agreed to pay over $7.6 million to the State of Delaware for violating the federal and state False Claims Acts, and Delaware’s Patient Brokering and Anti-Kickback laws. According to a qui tam whistleblower, who filed a case in 2017, the healthcare system provided free or below-market rate support services to doctors in exchange for referrals of Medicaid patients, then submitted false claims stemming from those referrals to Delaware’s Medicaid program. DE AGCommunity Health Network Pays $345 Million to Settle Stark Law Case
Posted 12/21/23
December 21, 2023
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc., maker of Crysvita, will pay $6 million for violating the False Claims Act. Crysvita is prescribed to treat a rare inherited blood disorder, which may require a genetic test to definitively diagnose. To induce purchases and referrals, Ultragenyx paid a laboratory to conduct genetic tests at no cost to healthcare providers or patients, and then provide the results reports to Ultragenyx. Ultragenyx then used the positive test results reports to target healthcare providers for Crysvita sales. Internally, Ultragenyx referred to this kickback scheme as their "sponsored" testing program. The program was exposed via a qui tam whistleblower, who will receive $1.07 million of the $6.7 million recovery. DOJDecember 19, 2023
Indiana-based Community Health Network Inc. has agreed to pay $345 million to resolve claims by its former CFO and COO Thomas Fischer, which alleged the healthcare system submitted claims to Medicare that were tainted by violations of the Stark Law. In order to capture physicians’ downstream referrals, Community paid physicians salaries that were sometimes double market rate, and awarded them bonuses based on the number of referrals. Community then submitted claims resulting from these referrals for reimbursement. DOJDecember 18, 2023
Heart monitoring device manufacturer BioTelemetry Inc. and its subsidiary, LifeWatch Services Inc., have agreed to pay more than $14.7 million for causing false claims to be submitted to federal healthcare programs. The claims were brought in two separate qui tam suits, one by an employee of one of LifeWatch’s customers, Michael Pelletier, and the other by SFP I LLC. The whistleblowers alleged that the companies knew the design of their enrollment portal would steer clinical staff into enrolling patients in telemetry, which is reimbursed at a higher rate, rather than holter monitoring and event monitoring, which is reimbursed at a lower rate. DOJCaught in the Crosshairs - Loyal Source Government Services
Posted 12/1/23
Catch of the Week: King Kong Tools
Posted 11/30/23
