Medical Device Legal News with Sam Bernstein: Episode 14
The Justice Insiders: FIFA Corruption Trial – Will the Feds Score Another Goal?
Rob DeConti on the Latest Guidance and Insights from the OIG at HHS
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on July 2, 2025, announced their intent to strengthen the DOJ-HHS False Claims Act Working Group. The announcement emphasized...more
On July 2, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the creation of the DOJ-HHS False Claims Act Working Group, a high-level interagency initiative aimed at...more
On May 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (HHS OIG) announced a $12 million settlement with Innovasis Inc., a medical device manufacturer, and two of its senior executives...more
On Oct. 25, 2023, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued an unfavorable opinion in response to a manufacturer’s proposal to offer and provide a free compatible...more
After a rare False Claims Act (FCA) trial—especially one premised on violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS)—a federal jury in Minnesota returned a $43 million verdict against Precision Lens, a distributor of medical...more
On February 27, 2023, a jury in Minnesota federal court rendered a verdict in favor of the United States and against a surgical product distributor following a False Claims Act jury trial that lasted six weeks. The jury...more
STATISTICAL TRENDS IN FALSE CLAIMS ACT LITIGATION - FCA case activity for 2021 reveals seemingly contrary trends. For the federal fiscal year (FY) that ended September 30, 2021, the DOJ annual report on FCA enforcement...more
The Department of Justice announced in a February 1, 2022 press release (Press Release) that it obtained more than $5.6 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims in the fiscal year...more
Alere Inc. and Alere San Diego Inc. (collectively “Alere”) have come under fire recently by the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and other government agencies, agreeing to settle several rounds of accusations of False...more
Billions of dollars have flown from medical device makers to specialists performing back, spine, knee, and hip surgeries, with unsavory cash and practices also accompanying that fiscal tide. Industry officials and...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 39 (November 2, 2020) - Medtronic USA Inc., a medical device maker, has agreed to pay $8.1 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to induce...more
Medical device maker Merit Medical Systems (“MMS”) agreed to pay $18 million to resolve allegations that the company submitted false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE by paying kickbacks to physicians and hospitals to...more
Earlier this year, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a final rule (ONC Rule) addressing interoperability, information blocking and patient access to data. The ONC Rule...more
Medical Device Manufacturer Settles Improper Payment Allegations for $18 Million - Merit Medical Systems Inc. (MMSI), a Utah-based medical device maker, will pay $18 million to settle allegations that it engaged in a...more
Kickback Allegations Settled for $20.25 Million - Sanford Health, Sanford Medical Center, and Sanford Clinic (collectively, Sanford), a South Dakota health system, will pay $20.25 million to settle allegations that they...more
Medical Device Exec Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for $4.6 Million Kickback Scheme, Co-Conspirator Awaits Sentencing - On August 29, the Department of Justice announced that a Tennessee health care executive, Brenda...more
Podiatrist Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Billing Scheme - On July 19, 2019, a New York podiatrist was sentenced to 366 days in prison, assessed a $50,000 fine, ordered to pay $869,651 in restitution and forfeit...more
Prompt Payment Discounts Not an Anti-Kickback Statute Violation - In United States of Am. et al. ex rel. Ruscher v. Omnicare, No. 15-20629, 2016 WL 6407128 (5th Cir. Oct. 28, 2016), the court of appeals affirmed summary...more
This Week: The President took a victory lap in Wisconsin, announcing that 20 million people have gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act... That figure includes people newly covered through insurance...more