Earlier this month, DOJ filed its complaint-in-intervention alleging FCA claims in the long pending Medicare Advantage case U.S. ex rel. Swoben v. Secure Horizons.  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit revived this matter last year when it held that the design of a retrospective review to avoid discovery of unsupported diagnoses submitted for risk adjustment can give rise to FCA liability resulting from false certifications.   DOJ intervened in March 2017 only as to the UnitedHealth Group parties in the case.  DOJ had intervened previously as to the SCAN defendants, who settled their portion of the case for $322 million in August 2012.
Continue Reading DOJ Complaint Alleges One-Way Chart Review Renders Medicare Advantage Risk Adjustment Certifications False

Recently, the DOJ intervened in one of several currently pending qui tam cases involving Medicare Advantage (MA) and the Risk Adjustment process used to determine the amount of payments to Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAO).  The government filed its notice of election to intervene in US ex rel. Poehling v. UnitedHealth Group, a case that has been pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and which is now unsealed.
Continue Reading DOJ Intervenes in Risk Adjustment FCA Case