Posts Tagged ‘anti-kickback law’
Lab Owner Gets 27 Years, Must Pay Back $187M in Genetic Testing Healthcare Fraud Scheme
An Atlanta lab owner has been ordered to turn over $187 million in ill-gotten gains he obtained in a healthcare fraud scheme that involved kickbacks and bribes in violation of the Anti-kickback statute and False Claims Act. The order was recently issued by a Miami federal judge against Minal Patel and follows his sentencing in…
Read MorePhRMA Updates Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals
Earlier this month, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), announced it had made changes to its Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals. The “PhRMA Code†updates principles applicable to company-sponsored speaker programs. Although voluntary, the standards outlined are considered best practices and generally are followed by drug and medical device companies. In fact,…
Read MoreTeva Charged With Paying Kickbacks to Increase Sales of MS Drug
Teva Pharmaceuticals has joined a growing list of healthcare organizations alleged to have used charitable foundations to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in kickbacks. Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston filed a complaint against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and Teva Neuroscience, Inc., the maker of Copaxone. It alleged the company conspired…
Read MoreOIG Rules Hospitals Can Sell Medical Debt Directly to Nonprofit Buyer
Can health systems and large physician groups sell or donate their unpaid medical debt to a medical debt forgiveness company without fear of violating federal anti-kickback laws? A recent Advisory Opinion issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General said yes, at least under the circumstances outlined in the…
Read MoreCOVID-19 Related Fraud Heating Up
Five months into the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of enforcement actions against companies and individuals who have received COVID-19 relief funds continues to grow. In the following case, investigators allege the suspect mixed it up by allegedly violating both anti-kickback laws and committing relief fund fraud. According to the complaint, Carlos Belone of Coconut…
Read MoreFederal Health IT Officials Outline Five-Year Plan
The Department of Health and Human Services, led by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), recently released its 2020-2025 Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for public comment. The 28-page plan outlines goals and objectives to ensure that patients have access to their electronic health information (EHR) that allows them to,…
Read MoreOIG Issues Advisory Opinion on Hospital Training Facility
On January 13, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) posted an advisory opinion in which it approved a hospital’s request to provide discounted training to a fire department’s personnel at the hospital’s facility. The hospital asked the government watchdog whether such an arrangement would constitute grounds for the imposition of sanctions under the exclusion authority…
Read MoreProposed Changes to Stark and Anti-Kickback Laws
OIG: Complimentary In-Home Care Permitted, Despite Potential Anti-Kickback Violation
A recent advisory opinion issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General has given a medical center the go-ahead to provide free in-home care to reduce re-admissions, despite a prohibition against giving patients handouts that might influence care decisions. The OIG advisory opinion is in response to a…
Read MoreRidesharing Agreements Present Anti-Kickback Risks
Earlier this month, Uber announced the unveiling of a new service it has dubbed “Uber Health†which it describes as “a way to partner with healthcare organizations to provide reliable, comfortable transportation for patients.†The dashboard allows healthcare professionals to order rides for patients who either need to get to, or get home from, healthcare…
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