Posts Tagged ‘Qui Tam’
Florida-based Consultant Resolves FCA Allegations
Ted Albin and his firm, Grapevine Billing and Consulting Services Inc., recently agreed to pay $50,000 to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act (FCA). It was alleged that between 2008 and 2017 Albin and Grapevine provided consulting services to the now-defunct Arriva, its parent company Alere Inc., and Abbott Laboratories, and that from…
Read MoreDOJ recovers $5.6B in FCA Settlements/Judgments
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced it had taken in more than $5.6 billion in False Claims Act (FCA) settlements and judgments in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2021. That’s the second largest annual total in the history of the FCA and the largest in seven years. In FY 2020, DOJ’s recoveries…
Read MoreTwo Companies Settle FCA Case with Five Whistleblowers Involved
A home healthcare business and affiliated company have settled claims brought about by a group of whistleblowers who alleged they submitted false claims for payment of lab and diagnostic testing services that were performed between Jan. 1, 2010 and Dec. 31, 2015. The providers, U.S. Medical Management, LLC and VPA, P.C. of Michigan, are alleged…
Read MoreSouth Carolina Healthcare Clinics to Pay $140M in Default Judgements
A group of South Carolina pain management clinics, drug testing labs and a substance abuse counseling center owe the government $140 million in default judgements after failing to defend against charges relating to federal anti-kickback laws and False Claims Act violations. Earlier this month, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina entered…
Read MoreUM to Pay $22M to Settle Whistleblower Lawsuits
The University of Miami recently agreed to pay $22 million to settle three whistleblower lawsuits alleging violations of the False Claims Act. The cases were first filed between 2013 and 2014. The government alleged that UM knowingly engaged in improper billing relating to its hospital facilities. Medicare regulations allow medical systems to convert physician offices…
Read MoreSettling FCA Claim From the Great Beyond
Just because you die, it doesn’t mean you can’t be held accountable for illegal activity conducted while you were still alive, as evidenced by a recent settlement agreement announced by the U.S. Department of Justice. The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Orlando, in late January, announced that the estate of Dr. Patrick T.…
Read MoreDOJ Recovers $2.6B in Healthcare Fraud Settlements, Judgments in 2019
The federal government said it was making healthcare fraud a priority, and from the numbers just released by the U.S. Department of Justice, it appears to be bearing fruit. The DOJ announced last week that it recovered more than $3 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims in the…
Read MoreDOJ Cites Significant Costs and Burdens on Request to Dismiss Qui Tam Case
The Department of Justice has once again exercised its authority under the False Claims Act in seeking the dismissal of a relator’s qui tam lawsuit. Government attorneys, in their motion to dismiss filed on Aug. 20, told the court that further litigation would result in imposing “significant costs and burdens on the government and waste…
Read MoreDOJ Intervenes in FCA Lawsuit Filed Against Medical Device Maker
The U.S. Department of Justice has intervened in a whistleblower lawsuit filed against medical device maker Life Spine Inc., along with the company’s founder and its VP for Business Development. The lawsuit alleges that the company paid millions of dollars in kickbacks to surgeons in exchange for using its spinal implants, equipment and other devices.…
Read MoreThe Granston Memo One Year Later
Last year, we wrote about an internal memo from the U.S. Department of Justice addressing the dismissal of qui tam (whistleblower) cases. The Granston Memo, so named because it was written by DOJ’s Director of Civil Fraud Section Michael Granston, outlined various factors government prosecutors should use to evaluate whether a False Claims Act (FCA)…
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