Please join us for the 8th Annual Nashville Healthcare Fraud Conference hosted by Bass, Berry & Sims and the Tennessee Hospital Association. Eligible for more than seven hours of CLE credit (including ethics), this complimentary program will take place on December 8th in Nashville (full day). The conference will be broadcast virtually the mornings of December 15th and 16th. Continue Reading Register Now | 8th Annual Nashville Healthcare Fraud Conference
SDNY Ruling in Anthem Sends a Signal to Medicare Advantage Litigants
In a decision issued on September 30, Judge Andrew Carter of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied Anthem Inc.’s motion to dismiss a government lawsuit filed in March 2020 claiming Anthem submitted inaccurate diagnosis data in conjunction with its Medicare Part C plans that resulted in alleged overpayments in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA).
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Medicare Advantage Plan Highlights Distinction for FCA Purposes between Clinically Inaccurate Diagnoses and Clinically Accurate Diagnoses that Allegedly Violate Subregulatory Guidelines
In a September 2022 filing in U.S. ex rel. Osinek v. Kaiser Permanente, the Kaiser Permanente consortium defendants (Kaiser) highlighted the distinction between clinically inaccurate diagnoses (factual falsity) and clinically accurate but incorrectly coded diagnoses (legal falsity) and its relevance in False Claims Act (FCA) actions.
Watch On-Demand | How to Submit a Stark Law Self-Disclosure Webinar
Watch the recording of our latest webinar, in which our panel of national healthcare fraud and abuse attorneys will discuss how to disclose a Stark Law violation to CMS.
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Government Announces First FCA Settlement with PPP Lender
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on September 12, the first-ever False Claims Act (FCA) settlement with a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lender. Continue Reading Government Announces First FCA Settlement with PPP Lender
Seventh Circuit Signals Ongoing Importance of Compliance with Medicare “Bad Debt” Regulations
In a recent decision, U.S. ex rel. Sibley v. Univ. of Chicago Medical Center, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit considered allegations that two medical billing and debt collection companies, Medical Business Office Corp. (MBO) and Trustmark Recovery Services, Inc. (Trustmark), and the University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC), a client of one of the debt collection companies, violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by seeking inappropriate reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for Medicare “bad debts.”
Expanded Focus on Cybersecurity Activities by DOJ with Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative
We recently authored an article for ABA Health eSource, published by the American Bar Association’s Health Law Section, that details the expanded focus on cybersecurity activities by the Department of Justice (DOJ) with the Civil Cyber-Fraud initiative.
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D.C. Circuit Holds that False Claims Act Damages Must Be Reduced Dollar-for-Dollar by Other Defendants’ Settlements
On August 30, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit held, as a matter of first impression, that damages in False Claims Act cases are subject to pro tanto (dollar-for-dollar) settlement offsets in cases involving multiple jointly and severally liable defendants.
Third Circuit Holds that Whistleblower Can Still Be Fired for Misconduct
On August 26, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued an order reaffirming that potential False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblowers are not immune from being fired for workplace misconduct, especially where that misconduct involves “oinking” at co-workers.
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Ninth Circuit Affirms Broad Scope of False Claims Act’s Public Disclosure Bar
On August 25, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion in which it held that ex parte patent prosecutions by the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) qualify as “other Federal . . . hearing[s]” under prong (ii) of the False Claims Act’s Public Disclosure Bar. In so ruling, the Ninth Circuit affirmed that the Public Disclosure Bar should not be read in a restrictive manner but should be given a broad construction.
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