The owner of a medical transportation company has been indicted on seven counts of health care fraud. The government alleges that he defrauded Medicaid of $406,000 by filing false claims on behalf of his ambulette company. This is the latest in a growing number of ambulance fraud investigations and criminal prosecutions. Rolando Sepulveda owned and operated Med Transportation, a company that provided ambulette transportation services for Medicaid beneficiaries. An ambulette is a specially equipped van designed to transport passengers in wheelchairs. Medicaid pays ambulette companies to transport Medicaid patients to and from Medicaid-covered appointments. To qualify for ambulette transportation reimbursement, the following criteria must be met:
Sepulveda is accused of filing false claims with Medicaid for transporting patients who did not need or use wheelchairs. He is also accused of fraudulently billing Medicaid for ambulette attendants, when his company did not provide attendants on the ambulettes. Submitting claims to Medicaid for services that were not medically necessary or were not provided violates the federal False Claims Act and other state and federal laws. The government’s press release notes that the defendant “is currently believed to be residing in Puerto Rico.” This absence may explain why the government sought an indictment on seven felony charges, which could result in a long prison sentence. When you are facing a Medicaid fraud investigation, it is important to get advice from an experienced Medicaid fraud attorney immediately, before you talk to anyone fro, the government. Your lawyer may be able to negotiate a financial settlement that avoids an indictment. But if the government cannot find you, then they will charge you with the most serious crimes. Employees also need advice from a Medicaid fraud attorney if they are aware that their employer is submitting false claims to Medicare or Medicaid. When the government suspects that a company is engaged in Medicare and Medicaid fraud, it investigates everyone connected with the company. You could be at risk even though you are not personally benefiting from the fraud. If you are aware of false or fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare or Medicaid, you should consult with an experienced Medicaid and Medicare fraud lawyer immediately to protect yourself. You may be entitled to legal protections and a substantial whistleblower reward under the federal False Claims Act. To arrange a free and confidential consultation with an experienced Medicaid and Medicare fraud lawyer, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules.
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A podiatrist was sentenced to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He was accused of diagnosing patients with foot and toe infections that did not actually exist, and then billing Medicare for treatments that were not provided. Richard Alan Behnan, D.P.M., was a “traveling podiatrist” who treated elderly patients at senior centers and assisted living facilities. According to the government, he provided toenail trimming and other routine foot care that is not covered by Medicare, but then claimed reimbursement for a procedure known as nail avulsion that is covered by Medicare. A nail avulsion involves surgically removing all or part of the nail from the nail bed. It is an outpatient procedure that is often performed with either a local anesthetic or no anesthetic at all. The government uncovered the fraud by analyzing the doctor’s Medicare and private health insurance claims. When the claims data raised a red flag, they went out and spoke with the patients. Medicare Fraud Data Analysis The government constantly analyzes Medicare claims data for unusual patterns. This includes looking at the total value of an individual physician's claims, as well as comparing the individual physician's claims with averages for the types of procedures and the communities in which the physician practices. In this case, the traveling podiatrist was paid more than $1.6 million, with $1.4 million coming from Medicare and the rest from a private insurer. The large amount of money paid for a relatively simple procedure, and the large numbers of procedures involved, caused the government to suspect that something was not right. Medicare Audits and Investigations Once the government sees an unusual pattern, it can send in auditors and/or investigators to review medical records and speak with patients, current and former employees, and anyone else who might have useful information. In this case, the investigators learned that patients had never received the nail avulsion procedures that the traveling podiatrist had claimed. The government also looks at other records to find possible inconsistencies. This can range from simple steps such as looking at diaries and calendars, to more complex data analyses such as comparing Medicare claims data with claims data from private insurance companies. In this case, the investigators found that the traveling podiatrist submitted claims for nail avulsion procedures that allegedly were performed on dates when he was traveling outside the United States. Medicare Fraud Whistleblowers Whistleblowers provide another major source for government fraud investigations. Under the federal False Claims Act, an individual who has knowledge of false claims may file a lawsuit on behalf of the government. The lawsuit is filed “under seal” (in secret) and the evidence is presented to the government before the defendant knows they are suspected of wrongdoing. If the government ultimately recovers money from the defendant, then the whistleblower is entitled to a reward of up to 30% of the amount recovered. While there was no whistleblower in the traveling podiatrist case, if there had been, the reward could have been as much as $350,000. Whistleblowers can be patients, current or former employees, competitors, consultants, or anyone else who has information that can help the government prove that false claims were submitted to Medicare or Medicaid. The whistleblower does not need to know all the facts. It is enough if they have helpful information that is not available to the government. Protecting Your Rights If you are under investigation or have been charged with a crime, then you are facing government investigators and prosecutors who have access to tremendous resources. You should not try to handle this on your own. Get an experienced Medicaid and Medicare fraud lawyer on your side immediately, before you speak with anyone from the government. If you have knowledge that your employer or someone else is submitting false claims to Medicare or Medicaid, then you may be entitled to legal protections and a substantial whistleblower reward. You should consult with an experienced Medicare and Medicaid fraud attorney immediately, because only the first whistleblower is entitled to the reward. To arrange a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. A government study has found that approximately half of Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) exhibited questionable Medicare billing in 2010. During that time frame, Medicare paid almost $220 million to more than 200 community mental health centers for providing Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) services to Medicare beneficiaries. PHPs provide outpatient services to patients who have been discharged from inpatient psychiatric care. The objective is to provide ongoing outpatient care in a community setting at a lower cost than inpatient care. To qualify for reimbursement from Medicare, patients who participate in PHPs must have mental disorders that severely interfere with multiple areas of their daily lives, including social, vocational, and/or educational functioning. The PHP services must be:
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has identified nine questionable billing characteristics or red flags based on its analysis of Medicare fraud cases and data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). OIG determined that Partial Hospitalization billing fraud occurs with greater frequency when PHP patients:
Using Medicare claims history, the OIG identified community mental health centers that had unusually high billing for at least one of the nine questionable billing characteristics and the metropolitan areas where these CMHCs were located. Approximately half of community mental health centers met or exceeded thresholds that indicated unusually high billing for at least one of nine questionable billing characteristics. Approximately one-third of these community mental health centers had at least two of the characteristics. OIG also determined that 90 percent of the centers with questionable billing were located in States that do not require community mental health centers to be licensed or certified. The government aggressively investigates and prosecutes mental health fraud cases. False claims for PHP services costs Medicare millions of dollars and endangers patients who do not receive appropriate mental health services and treatment. If you are under investigation or have been charged with Medicare fraud, then you should consult with an experienced Medicaid and Medicare fraud lawyer immediately, before you speak with an investigator. If you are aware of false claims being submitted by your employer, you also need legal advice right away. You may be at risk of criminal prosecution because the government goes after everyone who was involved. On the other hand, you may be entitled to legal protections and a substantial whistleblower reward if you help the government uncover the fraud and recover money. To arrange a free and confidential consultation with an experienced Medicare and Medicaid fraud attorney, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. When Orthofix, Inc. pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud, felony charges were filed against several its employees. And a former healthcare consultant turned whistleblower walked away with a $9 million reward. Jeffrey Bierman, the former healthcare consultant, brought a whistleblower lawsuit alleging that Orthofix violated the federal False Claims Act by:
Orthofix agreed to settle the lawsuit by paying the government more than $42 million. Under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act, Mr. Bierman received more than $9 million from the settlement as his reward. Other employees are facing a much different future. A physician’s assistant was sentenced to six months in prison, six months in home confinement, and two years of supervised release for taking kickbacks. A former regional manager pleaded guilty to making a false declaration to a federal grand jury. He was sentenced to three months home confinement, one year probation, and a $2,000 fine. A former vice president pleaded guilty to paying kickbacks, and three former territory managers pleaded guilty to creating false medical records used to support Medicare claims. This is a wake-up call. You are personally at risk of criminal prosecution if you know that your employer is falsifying medical records, paying kickbacks, or submitting false claims to Medicare or Medicaid. The government investigates everyone who had knowledge of the false claims, including those who did not personally sign false medical records or participate actively in the fraud. You may be able to protect yourself from criminal charges and earn a substantial reward if you help the government as a whistleblower. An experienced False Claims Act attorney will review your case at no charge. If your claims are viable, your lawyer will file a complaint under seal (in secret) and present your evidence to the local prosecutor. If the case is pursued and the government recovers money, you will be entitled to a reward of between 15% and 30% of the amount the government recovers. If you are already under investigation or have been charged with a crime, you can no longer be a whistleblower, but you still have options. An experienced Medicare fraud lawyer can explain those options and help you prepare your defense. Your lawyer may also be able to negotiate with the government to avoid or reduce the possible charges. Do not go to prison for your employer’s fraud. Get an experienced Medicare and Medicaid fraud attorney on your side. For a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. (212) 601-2728 or click here to reach our office via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. Pfizer Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals agreed to resolve Medicaid fraud allegations by paying the State of Texas a total of $36.34 million. Both pharmaceutical companies were accused of filing false price reports with Medicaid. The false price reports allegedly misstated the prices charged for their pharmaceutical products. Under state and federal law, drug companies must file price reports setting forth the prices they charge pharmacies, wholesalers and distributors for their products. The price reports are used to establish Medicaid reimbursement rates. The difference between the Medicaid reimbursement amount and the actual market price is referred to as the “spread.” The government alleged that Pfizer and Endo filed the false price reports in order to increase the spread and thereby induce pharmacies and other providers to purchase their products. The improper price reports were first identified by Ven-A-Care of the Florida Keys Inc., a pharmacy that filed a qui tam or whistleblower lawsuit on behalf of the government. Individual citizens who have knowledge of false claims can file these types of lawsuits on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Under state and federal False Claims Acts, the whistleblower’s share or reward is usually between 15% and 30% of the amount recovered by the government. The qui tam lawsuit was initially filed “under seal” (in secret) so the government could conduct an investigation before the defendants knew that they were under investigation. No one other than the government and the court knew about the lawsuit until the government completed its investigation. In this case, the State of Texas conducted an investigation and decided to intervene in the case to recover overpayments made by Medicaid to pharmacies based on the false price reports. The pharmacy that brought the suit will therefore receive a share of the overall recovery as its whistleblower reward. Pfizer and Endo will also pay the whistleblower’s attorney’s fees. If you are aware that false price reports are being submitted to the government – or that other types of false claims are being submitted to Medicare or Medicaid – then you should consult with an experienced Medicare and Medicaid fraud attorney immediately. You may be entitled to legal protections and a substantial reward as a whistleblower. To arrange a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. directly at (917) 652-6504 or click here to reach our office via email. No attorney’s fees will be charged unless you win, in which case the attorney’s fees will be paid out of the total amount recovered. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. The owners and operators of two home health agencies pleaded guilty to participating in a $48 million home health Medicare fraud scheme. Rogelio Rodriguez and Raymond Aday operated Caring Nurse Home Health Corp. and Good Quality Home Health Inc. in Miami, Florida. According to the government, the two defendants submitted claims to Medicare for home health care and therapy services that were not medically necessary. They also engaged in phantom billing or billing for services not provided. The fraudulent scheme involved paying kickbacks to patient recruiters who supplied the home health care agencies with patients, prescriptions, plans of care, and certifications for therapy and home health services. The owners used these documents to submit false claims to Medicare. In addition, nurses and office staff at the home health agencies created false medical records to make it appear that Medicare beneficiaries qualified for home health care and therapy services when, in fact, the beneficiaries did not qualify for and did not receive such services. Between 2006 and 2011, the two home health care agencies submitted approximately $48 million in claims for home health services that were not medically necessary and/or not provided. The two defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. They each face up to 10 years in prison and exclusion from Medicare in the future. Home healthcare fraud is a top priority for government investigators and prosecutors. They are constantly monitoring Medicare and Medicaid claims data to identify suspicious billing patterns. And when government investigators find evidence of Medicare or Medicaid fraud, they go after everyone involved – not just the owners and managers, but every single employee who was aware of the fraud or signed false medical records. Do not go to prison for your employer’s fraud. Consult with a Medicare and Medicaid fraud attorney to protect yourself before the FBI shows up at your door. An experienced defense lawyer can help you avoid prosecution or minimize the charges. You may even be entitled to legal protections and a substantial reward as a whistleblower by bringing a qui tam case under the False Claims Act. You should also consult with a Medicaid and Medicare fraud lawyer immediately if you are under investigation or have been charged with a crime. You may have options and defenses, but only an experienced defense lawyer can help you assert them. To arrange a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (917) 652-6504 or click here to reach our offices via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. A former “sleep technician” at American Sleep Medicine LLC will receive a $2.6 million reward for helping the government uncover false claims for reimbursement submitted by the operator of sleep diagnostic centers. Daniel Purnell’s whistleblower lawsuit alleged that American Sleep Medicine billed Medicare, TRICARE, and the Railroad Retirement Medicare Program for sleep diagnostic services that were performed by technicians who lacked the required credentials and certifications. Under federal program requirements for reimbursement of sleep disorder testing, initial sleep studies must be conducted by technicians who are licensed or certified by a state or national credentialing body as sleep test technicians. A claim for reimbursement is considered a “false claim” if the testing was conducted by a technician who is not licensed or certified. Mr. Purnell brought the lack of certification to the attention of the government by filing a qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act. The law allows private citizens with knowledge of fraud to start a lawsuit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. The individual who files the lawsuit is known as a “relator.” The lawsuit is initially filed “under seal” (in secret) to give the government time to conduct an investigation before the defendant knows that they are the target of a Medicare fraud investigation. After conducting an investigation, the government intervened in Mr. Purnell’s lawsuit and negotiated a settlement. Under the terms of the settlement, American Sleep Medicine will pay $15,301,341 to resolve allegations that it billed Medicare, TRICARE – the health care program for Uniformed Service members, retirees and their families worldwide – for services that were not eligible for reimbursement. Mr. Purnell will receive $2,601,228 as his whistleblower reward for alerting the government and bringing the lawsuit. If you are aware of false claims being submitted to Medicare, Medicaid or another government program, then you should consult with an experienced False Claims Act attorney immediately to protect your rights. You may be eligible for legal protections as a whistleblower and a significant reward. To arrange a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (917) 652-6504 or click here to reach our offices via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. The company that operates “Golden Living” nursing homes agreed to pay $613,300 to resolve allegations that it provided inadequate and worthless wound care services to residents. The government claimed that GGNSC Holdings LLC, the operator of skilled nursing facilities under the “Golden Living” name, fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid and TriCare for nursing services which were substandard and resulted in harm to patients. The government alleges that the claims for reimbursement were false because GGNSC provided residents with inadequate and worthless monitoring, documentation, and prevention and treatment of wounds. By failing to provide adequate wound care services to its nursing home residents, Golden Living placed at risk the life and health of individuals who were entrusted to its care. A representative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that its Medicare and Medicaid fraud investigators will aggressively investigate nursing home fraud involving allegations of substandard care. “Quality of care in nursing homes is a top priority for the Office of Inspector General. Health care providers need to know that if they provide worthless services to those most in need, they will pay the price.” The substandard care allegations were first raised by Dr. Joseph L. Micca, a medical director at one of the company’s nursing homes. Dr. Micca started a lawsuit against the company under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. This statute allows a private citizen to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. The lawsuit was filed “under seal” (in secret) to allow the government to investigate the allegations before Golden Living knew that it was being sued. As a reward for helping the government stop fraud and prevent harm to patients, Dr. Micca will receive a share of the settlement payment. The statute provides for a reward of between 15% and 30% of the amount recovered by the government. If you are aware that a nursing home or other healthcare provider is submitting Medicare or Medicaid claims for substandard care, treatment that was never provided, or based on false medical records, then you should consult with an experienced False Claims Act attorney immediately. You may be entitled to legal protections and a substantial reward as a False Claims Act whistleblower. To arrange a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (917) 652-6504 or click here to reach our offices via email. No legal fees are charged unless your case is successful. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. A former clinical director for Biscayne Milieu, a Miami-based mental-health clinic, was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for helping his employer commit Medicare fraud. Rafael Alalu is just the latest person whose life has been devastated because he went along with his employer’s fraud. So far, the owners of Biscayne Milieu and more than 25 doctors, managers, therapists, and other employees have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial. Biscayne Milieu purportedly operated a partial hospitalization program (PHP) – a form of intensive treatment for severe mental illness. According to the government, the clinic submitted more than $50 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for individuals who were not eligible for PHP or who never received treatment. Many of the patients were not eligible for PHP because they were chronic substance abusers or suffered from severe dementia and would not benefit from group therapy. Other patients had no mental health diagnosis and never intended to get treatment. Mr. Alalu, the clinical director, was convicted of treating ineligible patients and helping to conceal the fraud by falsifying patient files, writing fraudulent group therapy notes, and instructing others to do the same. His participation in the mental health fraud earned him an eight-year prison term. This is a very sad situation, especially for the employees. Mr. Alalu and his co-workers not only could have avoided prison, but could have earned substantial rewards if they had consulted with an experienced False Claims Act attorney. The False Claims Act provides legal protections and substantial rewards to whistleblowers who help the government uncover fraud. Under the qui tam provisions of the law, an individual citizen can start a lawsuit on behalf of the government to recover for false and fraudulent claims. The lawsuit is initially filed “under seal” (in secret) to give the government an opportunity to conduct an investigation. A False Claims Act whistleblower, who is called a “relator,” is entitled to a reward of up to 30% of the amount the government actually collects. In this case, the reward could have amounted to more than $1 million. Unfortunately, the employees are going to prison instead because they chose to go along with the fraud. Do not go to prison for your employer’s fraudulent or false claims. If you are aware that false medical records are being created or false claims are being submitted to Medicare or Medicaid, then you should consult with an experienced False Claims Act attorney immediately to protect your rights. You may be eligible for whistleblower protections and a very substantial reward. Call John Howley, Esq. at (917) 652-6504 to arrange a free and confidential consultation, or click here to reach our offices via email. There are no legal fees unless your case is successful. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. A former pharmaceutical sales representative has earned a $1.7 million reward for blowing the whistle on Medicare fraud. The reward will be paid out of an $11.4 million settlement by Victory Pharma Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, to resolve allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors to induce them to write prescriptions for Victory’s products. Chad Miller, the former sales representative, brought the lawsuit under the whistleblower or qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. He alleged that his former employer paid doctors kickbacks to induce them to write prescriptions for Naprelan, Xodol, Fexmid and Dolgic. The kickbacks included tickets to sporting events, concerts and plays; spa, golf and ski outings; dinners at expensive restaurants; and numerous other out-of-office events. Victory also promoted a program of paid “preceptorships,” which involved sales representatives “shadowing” doctors in their offices. The settlement resolves allegations that Victory improperly used these preceptorships to induce doctors to prescribe Victory’s products. The Anti-Kickback Statute makes it a crime for anyone to give, receive, solicit or help arrange anything of value to induce a doctor to prescribe products that will be paid for, in whole or in part, by Medicare, Medicaid or other government healthcare programs. The underlying rational is that physicians should make treatment decisions based solely on their own independent medical judgment, without being influenced by kickbacks or other improper benefits. A conviction for violating the anti-kickback law can result in jail time, monetary penalties, and exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs. Violation of the anti-kickback statute can also result in violation of the False Claims Act. Once a prescription is tainted by a kickback, any claim for reimbursement from Medicare or Medicaid is considered a “false claim” under the False Claims Act. This pharmaceutical kickbacks case was settled when Victory agreed to pay $1.4 million to resolve federal Ant-Kickback Statute allegations and $9,938,310 to resolve False Claims Act allegations. The whistleblower in this case will receive a reward of $1.7 million or approximately 17% of the False Claims Act portion of the settlement. If you are aware of kickbacks or false claims being submitted to Medicare or Medicaid, then you should consult with an experienced False Claims Act attorney immediately. You may be entitled to a very substantial reward. To arrange a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (917) 652-6504 or click here to reach our offices via email. John Howley, Esq. The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. I invite you to contact our law offices and welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. I practice law and offer legal services only in jurisdictions where I am properly authorized to do so. I do not seek to represent anyone in any jurisdiction where this web site does not comply with applicable laws and bar rules. |
John Howley, Esq.
350 Fifth Avenue 59FL New York, NY 10118 (212) 601-2728 |