Does violating requirements amount to fraud under the False Claims Act (FCA) when the requirements allegedly violated are unclear? There is currently a circuit split and petitions for review pending to the Supreme Court as to...more
1/11/2023
/ Ambiguous ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
ICD Codes ,
Medical Reimbursement ,
Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
SCOTUS
Courts are grappling with unique questions in the context of managed care programs in False Claims Act (FCA) cases. But are they getting it right? Two questions trending in courts relate to: (1) materiality under the FCA when...more
9/23/2022
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Beneficiaries ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Civil Liability ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dismissal With Prejudice ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fee-for-Service ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Managed Care Contracts ,
MCOs ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Risk Adjustment Formula ,
SCOTUS ,
Universal Health Services Inc v United States ex rel Escobar
When a company decides to self-disclose misconduct (or conduct that may be construed as such) to the government, that decision triggers a stream of additional questions. In the weighty deliberations about whether and what to...more
12/2/2021
/ Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Legal Representatives ,
Liability ,
OIG ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Suppliers
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled last week that whistleblower relators need not show “objective falsity” to prove their claims, and that a dispute among physician experts about a clinical...more
3/12/2020
/ False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospice ,
Insurance Fraud ,
Life Sciences ,
Medicare ,
Objective Falsity ,
Physicians ,
Professional Liability ,
Qui Tam ,
Relators ,
Scienter ,
Triable Issue of Fact ,
Whistleblowers
Federal enforcers typically announce (formally as well as informally) work plans or focus areas for the upcoming year that can provide some guidance as to where providers might anticipate enforcement action and, where they...more
All hospice providers routinely should assess risk exposure under the False Claims Act — now with the benefit of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit’s long-awaited decision in United States v. AseraCare Inc. ...more
2/4/2020
/ Appeals ,
Evidence ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospice ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Medical Experts ,
Medical Records ,
Medicare ,
Objective Falsity ,
Physicians ,
Summary Judgment ,
Terminal Illness Treatments ,
Trial Court Orders ,
Vacated
Although a whistleblowing employee typically cannot release fraud claims against her employer brought on behalf of the United States under the False Claims Act (FCA), courts have demonstrated a willingness to enforce properly...more
10/9/2019
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Qui Tam ,
Release of Claims ,
Retaliation ,
Severance Agreements ,
Waiver of Liability ,
Waivers ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
In a memo leaked last year (the Granston Memo), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) instructed its prosecutors to more seriously consider dismissing meritless whistleblower False Claims Act (FCA) cases when it is in the...more
As most recently spotlighted by the Department of Justice’s intervention in whistleblower claims against ManorCare, DOJ is increasing its enforcement of the False Claims Act (FCA) against therapy providers. In particular, DOJ...more