Whistleblowers Recover $5.8 Million in Medicare Kickback Case
A group of whistleblowers recently won a Medicare Kickback case in the state of Florida, recovering $5.8 million for the government. According to the Department of Justice press release announcing the settlement, a home health care company and two individuals allegedly entered into “sham medical director agreements with physicians as a means of providing remuneration for referrals.”
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits physicians from offering any remuneration for referrals of patients on government health care programs, like Medicare. Under another law, the Stark Law, a physician may not make a referral if the referring physician has a financial relationship with that facility. Compliance with these laws is an express conditions of payment under Medicare and Medicaid.
These lawsuits were brought under the False Claims Act (FCA), which allows whistleblowers who uncover fraud against the government to file a lawsuit and attempt to recover the lost assets. Under the FCA, whistleblowers are also entitled to receive a share of any recovery. Here, the whistleblowers have been initially awarded $145,000, with more awards coming.
If you have uncovered fraud against the government, contact the whistleblower lawyers at Miller Law Group today for a free and confidential consultation. You can also set up your consultation by calling us at (919) 348-4361. To learn more about whistleblower law, click here.
The settlement discussed above is based on allegations only. No determination of liability has been made.
Additional Resources:
Medical Billing and Coding Fraud
Some of Our Other Practice Areas
