Welcome to the sixth issue of Health Headlines, a newsletter created by lawyers in our Healthcare practice....more
On July 16, 49 attorneys general (AGs) announced that they joined a $202 million settlement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Gilead). Previously announced by the Department of Justice in April, the settlement resolved allegations...more
As expected, the lawsuits have commenced following the enactment of the Arkansas legislation prohibiting pharmacy benefit managers (PBM’s) from owning or operating actual pharmacies within the state. Michigan has filed its...more
Attend ACI's 19th Annual BIG FOUR Pharmaceutical Pricing Boot Camp for an intensive online bootcamp that will provide you with a thorough understanding of essential government contracting processes and pricing concepts for...more
Chicago Laboratory Owner Charged with Defrauding Medicare in $60 Million COVID-19 Test Kit Scheme - The Chicago-based owner of two laboratories, Zoom Labs Inc. and Western Labs Co., has been charged with health care fraud...more
Prescription drug fraud has long been a focus for government regulators, but it has taken on new significance in the wake of America’s opioid crisis. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Health and Human...more
Telemedicine companies are supposed to facilitate medically necessary services to beneficiaries over the telephone via licensed medical professionals. In reality, however, many of these “telemedicine companies” are...more
Establish firm footing in the world of government contracting with this advanced course of study in Big Four pharmaceutical purchasing. ACI’s Big Four Pharmaceutical Pricing Boot Camp will introduce and reinforce core...more
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant regulatory activity between August 21 and September 20, 2022, including a guilty plea from a telemedicine physician who wrote prescriptions for...more
Prosecutions related to the submission of claims to Tricare for compounded pain creams continue. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed convictions against a Florida pharmacist, physician, and Navy veteran for their...more
Last Monday, the Eleventh Circuit ruled that the Middle District of Florida’s sentence of probation for former physician Nicole Bramwell in a $4.4 million Tricare fraud case was substantively unreasonable. The district...more
A recent health care fraud conspiracy case resulted in federal prison sentences for six participants, serving as a warning to pharmacy owners and their employees. The Case- Mohamed Abdalla is a licensed pharmacist who...more
William F. Gould In United States v. Merino, No. 19-50291, 2021 WL 754589 (9th Cir. Feb. 26, 2021), the court of appeals reversed the conviction of Marina Merino of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in violation of 18...more
Compliance Today (August 2020) - The Department of Justice’s Criminal Fraud division indicted six Texas-based owners and marketers for a scheme to defraud TRICARE and the U.S. Department of Labor, resulting in more than $14...more
SBA and Department of Treasury Announce Disclosure of PPP Recipients - After weeks of mounting public and congressional pressure, on Friday, June 19, the SBA and Department of Treasury announced that it will make...more
Omnicare and CVS Face Fraudulent Billing Lawsuit - On Tuesday, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced a False Claims Act lawsuit against Omnicare, Inc. and its parent company, CVS Health...more
When Riordan, Lewis & Haden Inc. (RLH), a private equity firm, found itself ensnared in a False Claims Act (FCA) litigation for its role in a prescription drug kickback scheme orchestrated by one of its portfolio companies,...more
On March 18, 2019, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an amended complaint-in-intervention in the False Claims Act (FCA) case against Diabetic Care Rx, LLC d/b/a Patient Care America (PCA); two of PCA’s executives; and the...more
The Defense Health Agency (DHA), which manages the TRICARE health care benefits, has issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding inpatient-clinic administered pharmaceuticals formulary management. In other words,...more
“Eliminating Kick-Backs and Recovery Act of 2018” (EKRA) is a part of a group of laws recently passed by Congress to expand the law enforcement spectrum available to fight the opioid epidemic. EKRA is part of approximately 70...more
The scope of our country’s opioid epidemic is devastating. From 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 people have died from a drug overdose. Two-thirds of these deaths involved an opioid. On average, 195 Americans dies every day...more
Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its largest ever national health care fraud takedown, resulting in charges against 601 diverse defendants including...more
• In an unusual move, the government has decided to pursue a False Claims Act (FCA) suit against a private equity firm based on an alleged commission scheme at its pharmacy portfolio company to promote sales of products...more
In February, the Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened in a False Claims Act case alleging healthcare fraud, a common enough event. The case in question, originally began in 2015 as a whistleblower case brought by two...more