Archive for April 2015
Updating HIPAA compliance in an age of data breaches
Recent data breaches at some of the country’s major healthcare organizations have prompted the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to update its 2011 version of its Guide to Privacy and Security of Electronic Health Information. The new guide, says the ONC, is specifically geared toward those providers who are “eligible professionals 
Read MoreWhat happens if you become the target of a healthcare fraud investigation?
No healthcare provider wants to become the target of a healthcare fraud investigation. But, as we have seen, it happens more often than we would like to think. Not only does a healthcare fraud investigation come with the potential for criminal penalties, but the state also can impose harsh consequences resulting in the loss of…
Read MoreWhistleblower lawsuits: How to avoid becoming a target
Earlier this month, three former managers of AIDS Healthcare Foundation Inc. (AHF) filed federal and state Whistleblower Act claims against their former employer. They allege that the nation’s largest supplier of HIV/AIDS medical care participated in patient referral kickbacks to the tune of at least $20 million since 2010. All three plaintiffs held management positions…
Read MoreFeds use data analytics to detect and investigate Medicare fraud
There have been countless stories in the news about how the federal government has gone about combating Medicare fraud. Still, every year the battle rages on. Between 2012 and 2014, the Office of the Inspector General’s investigations have resulted in $14.8 billion in investigative receivables (dollars ordered or agreed to be paid to government programs…
Read MoreHome health agency owner 20-year sentence for Medicare fraud upheld
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal recently affirmed a 20-year prison sentence for the owner of a Miami home healthcare business who was found guilty of Medicare fraud. Dora Moreira, the owner and operator of Anna Nursing Services Corp., was accused of bilking Medicare out of $7 million. The appellate court found that Moreira, who…
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