Government Backs Whistleblowers in Nursing Home Medicare Fraud Cases

Lawsuits Claim Skilled Nursing Chain Submitted False Claims to Medicare for Medically Unnecessary Rehabilitation Therapy

Three whistleblowers have received the backing of the federal government in their False Claims Act lawsuits against SavaSeniorCare LLC.  The company operates approximately 200 skilled nursing facilities.

According to the whistleblowers, the company submitted false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not medically necessary.  They claim that the company set targets for Medicare reimbursement rates without regard to patient needs, and then pressured staff to meet those targets.  As a result of this pressure, the whistleblowers claim, patients continued to remain in the facilities even after they were medically ready to be discharged.

The whistleblowers brought their claims under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  That law allows individual citizens to file lawsuits on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery.

The lawsuits were filed “under seal” (in secret) and the whistleblowers' evidence was provided to the government.  After conducting an investigation, the government decided to intervene in the lawsuits.  The whistleblowers will be entitled to a reward of between 15% and 25% of the amount to government recovers as a result of their qui tam lawsuits.

If you have evidence that a healthcare provider is submitting false claims to Medicare or Medicaid, then you should consult with an experienced whistleblower lawyer immediately to protect your rights.  You may be entitled to a substantial financial reward and legal protections as a whistleblower.

To schedule a free and confidential consultation, call John Howley, Esq. at (212) 601-2728.