Whistleblower Rewards

January 31, 2018

Florida Technical College, Inc. agreed to pay $600,000 to settle claims it violated the False Claims Act through the college’s Cutler Bay Campus falsely certifying compliance with federal student aid programs’ eligibility requirements and submitting claims for 27 ineligible students. The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Laurie Astacio, a former administrative assistant in the Cutler Bay admissions office. She will receive a whistleblower award from the proceeds of the government’s recovery. DOJ (SDFL)

January 30, 2018

Tampa’s largest ambulance providers AmeriCare Ambulance Service, Inc. and its sister company AmeriCare ALS, Inc. agreed to pay roughly $5.5 million to settle claims they violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare for medically unnecessary ambulance transportation services. The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by former AmeriCare employee Ernest Sharp. He will receive a whistleblower award of roughly $1.15 million from the proceeds of the government’s recovery. DOJ (MDFL)

January 25, 2018

Primex Clinical Laboratories, LLC agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle claims it violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickbacks Statue by paying kickbacks in exchange for laboratory referrals for patient pharmacogenetic testing. The allegations originated by a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by former sales reps Don Pyburn and David Choate. They will receive a whistleblower award of $754,000 from the proceeds of the government’s recovery. DOJ (NDTX)

January 24, 2018

Tennessee chiropractor Matthew Anderson agreed to pay $1.45 million to resolve allegations he violated the False Claims Act. Specifically, the government alleged that Anderson and his management company, PMC LLC, caused pharmacies to submit requests for Medicare and TennCare payments for pain killers dispensed based upon prescriptions written at the Cookeville Center for Pain Management, one of the pain clinics Anderson managed, which had no legitimate medical purpose. The government further alleged that Anderson caused four pain clinics he managed to bill Medicare for upcoded claims for office visits that were not reimbursable at the levels sought. The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former office manager for the Cookeville Center for Pain Management under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The whistleblower will receive a whistleblower award of $246,500 from the proceeds of the government's recovery. DOJ