The False Claims Act enables a private citizen with unique knowledge of fraud committed against the federal government (such as health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud) to file a lawsuit under seal (not accessible to the public) seeking treble (triple the amount) damages on behalf of the government... Read more about the False Claims Act
Florida-based HPH Hospice agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and Medicaid, the U.S. Department of Justice announced last month.
The Medicare hospice benefit is available for patients who have a life expectancy of six months or less if their disease runs its normal course. Patients admitted to a hospice stop receiving care to treat their illnesses and instead receive medical care focused... full text
New York-based Park Avenue Medical Associates, P.C., Park Avenue Health Care Management LLC, and Park Avenue Health Care Management, Inc. (collectively “PAMA”) have agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations that the companies knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare, the U.S. Department of Justice announced last month.
Medicare prohibits payment for services that are not “reasonable and necessary” for the diagnosis or treatment of an... full text
The government will intervene in a whistleblower lawsuit against Florida-based A Plus Home Health Care, Inc. and its owner, Tracy Nemerofsky, the U.S. Department of Justice announced last month. A Plus allegedly offered referring physicians’ spouses sham marketing positions with the company to induce the physicians to refer Medicare patients for its home health care services.
The government alleges that, beginning in 2006, A Plus engaged in a scheme to increase Medicare referrals by... full text
A federal judge increased United Technologies Corp.’s False Claims Act penalties by 40 percent, to $664.4 million, Reuters reported earlier this month. Last month, Connecticut-based UTC was found liable for $473 million in damages and penalties arising from a contract with the U.S. Air Force for fighter aircraft engine, the highest recovery ever obtained by the government in a False Claims Act case.
United Technologies allegedly proposed prices for the engine contract that... full text
Two of the country’s largest commercial shredding services companies, Shred-It Incorporated and Iron Mountain, recently agreed to pay $1.1 million between them to settle allegations that the companies knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the federal government, related to contracts for secure shredding services, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this month.
According to the complaint (see below), Iron Mountain and Shred-It obtained government contracts to... full text
Whistleblower Richard Priem will receive $1.8 million as his share of the Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) settlement with the U.S. government, the Associated Press reported recently.
SAIC received federal grant money through the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology to provide course management, development, and instruction to first responder personnel to prevent and respond to terrorist attacks involving explosive devices. The government alleged that SAIC... full text
The polling and market research firm Gallup Organization has agreed to pay $10.5 million to resolve allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act and the Procurement Integrity Act for conduct involving several of its federal government contracts and subcontracts, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this month. Gallup is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The government alleged that Gallup knowingly overestimated labor hours in proposals to the U.S. Mint and State... full text
Michigan-based healthcare practices Jackson Cardiology Associates (JCA) and Allegiance Health have agreed to pay a total of $4 million to settle allegations that the facilities knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health programs, the U.S. Department of Justice announced this week.
JCA owner Dr. Jashu Patel and his associates allegedly performed medically inappropriate cardiac procedures, including invasive catheterizations at... full text
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) has agreed to pay the U.S. government $5.75 million to settle allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims under a contract with the General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Department of Justice announced earlier this month.
In 2006, GSA awarded a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to SAIC for professional engineering and consulting services related to the study and evaluation of new... full text
North Carolina-based TranS1 Inc., now known as Baxano Surgical Inc., has agreed to pay the U.S. government $6 million to resolve allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and other federal health programs, the U.S. Department of Justice announced last week.
The government alleged that TranS1 knowingly caused health care providers to submit claims with incorrect diagnosis or procedure codes for minimally-invasive spine fusion surgeries... full text
