The Ninth Circuit recently held that a whistleblower could not intervene in a False Claims Act (FCA) suit filed by the U.S. despite it being based on allegations the whistleblower previously made in a lawsuit that was dismissed. This is another a holding that shows relators in qui tam cases…
Healthcare Fraud Lawyer Blog
CareCore National, LLC to pay $54 Million for Fraudulently Overbilling
CareCore National, LLC and the U.S. Department of Justice entered into a settlement agreement, according to a May announcement. CareCore will pay $54 million to resolve a False Claims Act suit based on allegations it fraudulently billed government insurance programs. The business provides pre-authorization/pre-certification services to managed care plans. It…
Omnicare to Pay $8 Million FCA Settlement
The U.S. Department of Justice and CVS Health Corp.’s Omnicare Inc. have settled a suit based on the federal False Claims Act for $8 million. Omnicare is the country’s largest nursing home pharmacy. It was formed in 1981 and acquired by CVS Health in 2015. Prior to this takeover, the…
Oncology Therapy Center Pays $3 Million in Healthcare Fraud Settlement
A radiation therapy center based in Lancaster agreed to pay $3 million to the federal government to resolve a claim that it committed healthcare fraud for close to 10 years. A qui tam suit based on the federal False Claims Act, filed by former employee Jared Shindler, alleged that Valley…
University of California Discovers Health Care Fraud Targeting Students
The University of California recently announced that it uncovered evidence of a fraudulent health care scheme targeting students. Local health care providers would recruit and encourage students to enroll in fake clinical trials or apply for fake jobs. This allowed them to gain the student’s personal and health plan information.…
California Dermatologist Settles Qui Tam Claim With Federal Government
The federal government has once against settled a qui tam claim based on the False Claims Act (FCA) with a medical provider. In April, the government announced it came to an agreement with dermatologist and surgeon Dr. Norman A. Brooks, M.D., for $2,681.400 based on false billings to Medicare. Dr.…
FCA Civil Penalties Rose in 2016, Increasing Financial Risk for Defendants
Individuals and businesses named in qui tam lawsuits alleging fraud against the government based on the False Claims Act (FCA) have always been at risk for significant financial penalties. If the federal government decides to join the qui tam action against the defendants, this is a sign of a great…
Understanding the Qui Tam Legal Process
Qui tam claims are lawsuits filed by private citizens on behalf of the federal government based on allegations that someone violated the False Claims Act (FCA) or another federal statute. Most of the time these types of claims are brought by employees, or ex-employees, who were able to gather evidence…
Government Allowed Writs of Attachment and Garnishment Against Defendants in Qui Tam Cases
In the qui tam case of BlueWave Healthcare v. U.S., the government was allowed to execute writs of attachment against both real and personal property and writs of garnishment against bank accounts of the defendants under the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act (FDCPA). The defendant’s attempted to appeal the denial…
Former Whistleblower Denied Portion of Government Settlement
Vinod Khurana alleged he should receive part of a $500 million settlement agreement between Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), New York City, and the Southern District U.S. Attorney’s Office since he was a whistleblower who informed the government of SAIC’s fraudulent billing and record-keeping system. However, the court denied this…