South Carolina has become a national leader in health care fraud cases.  The U.S. Attorney for the State of South Carolina, Sherri Lydon, has beefed up her staff by adding an additional attorney and an analyst to prosecute those who commit Medicare fraud.

While South Carolina used to rank in the bottom quarter of all district for prosecuting Medicare fraud, the State now ranks among the best in the country.

The False Claims Act prohibits health care providers from fraudulently billing federal programs, like Medicaid and Medicare.  Under the Act, those who report the fraud, the whistleblower, can receive a percentage of any recovery.  The False Claims Act is a tool to incentivize those who are aware of the fraud to report the fraud.

Last year, the Department of Justice recover $3.7 billion in cases involving the False Claims Act. A whopping $2.4 billion came from cases involving health care fraud.

The whistleblower is the government’s key to recovery.  Without someone coming forth and reporting fraud, most health care fraud goes unnoticed.  That is why the government in happy to share a part of the recovery with the whistleblower.

As for South Carolina, U.S Attorney Sherri Lydon affirmed that “these cases are a major priority in our office.” And with a May 2018 verdict of $114 million, Lydon is apparently keeping her promise.

If you have information about health care fraud and have questions about becoming a whistleblower contact Miller Law Group, or call 919-348-4361, for a free consultation.