Archive for January 2018
Appeals Court Issues Precedential Ruling in Charitable Assistance Organization Kickback Case
The increase in enforcement activity related to donations made by pharmaceutical manufacturers to nonprofit patient charitable assistance organizations has resulted in a number of whistleblower or Qui Tam lawsuits. Those lawsuits have hinged on the idea that such donations may be viewed as illegal kickbacks because they could be seen as a means to steer…
Read MoreJudge: Third Try Won’t be the Charm for Whistleblower
A U.S. District Court Judge earlier this month tossed a whistleblower lawsuit filed against a Florida compounding pharmacy finding that the former sales representative who filed the initial lawsuit in 2013 failed to make sufficient pleadings. However, defendant RS Compounding LLC in Tampa is not completely off the hook. The government intervened in, and the…
Read MoreOIG Notifies Pharmaceutical Companies They Can Provide Free Medication to Those Losing Charitable Assistance
In late November, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General revoked an Advisory Opinion that previously protected a patient-assistance charity from becoming the target of kickback charges. In a follow-up to that ruling this month, the OIG has sent a letter to Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)…
Read MoreOIG WorkPlan Update for December Includes Six New Initiatives
The HHS Office of the Inspector General continues to update its Work Plan each month and ended the year in December with six new initiatives, two of which focus on the opioid epidemic and how to better monitor and prevent drug abuse. Status Update on States’ Efforts on Medicaid-Provider Enrollment OIG will determine just how…
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