The Health Law Firm Blog | The Health Law Firm Blog

Fake Doctor in Texas Accused of Injecting Patients with Silicone Instead of Botox

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

A South Texas woman was charged on October 31, 2013, for allegedly injecting people with silicone, that she claimed was Botox. The phony health professional, described in some media reports as an “unlicensed plastic surgeon,” has been charged with practicing medicine without a license. According to Reuters, the unlicensed health professional could also be facing charges of manslaughter if investigators confirm that a woman’s death was related to treatments received from the imposter.

Click here to read the entire article from Reuters.

If convicted, the fake health care professional could spend up to […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:53-04:00June 1, 2018|Fake Health Care Professionals, In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Fake Surgeon in Florida Accused of Performing Liposuction Without a License

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

A Kissimmee, Florida, man was arrested on December 18, 2013, on charges that he has been allegedly performing liposuction without a medical license in a Central Florida clinic. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation (MBI) began investigating the phony surgeon about a year ago, after Florida Department of Health (DOH) received a complaint about the clinic in which the phony doctor worked. The clinic was called “Sculptural Orlando.”

Click here to read the article from the Orlando Sentinel.

Investigators Looking for More Victims.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, it is […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:53-04:00June 1, 2018|Fake Health Care Professionals, In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Hawaii Hospital to Pay More Than $451,000 to Resolve Whistleblower/Qui Tam Allegation of Improper Claims

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Wahiawa General Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii, agreed to pay $451,428 to settle two lawsuits alleging that the hospital improperly billed Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare. The settlement stemmed from a civil whistleblower/qui tam lawsuit. The lawsuit was filed by a doctor who allegedly worked at an outpatient clinic operated by Wahiawa General Hospital, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Wahiawa General Hospital signed the settlement agreement on August 29, 2013.

To read the press release from the DOJ, click here.

Whistleblower Receives Money in Settlement and Attorneys’ Fees Paid by Hospital.

According to the DOJ, the […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:51-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, Medicare Fraud, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Tuomey Healthcare System Ordered to Pay a Reduced $238 Million in Damages for Allegedly Violating Stark Law and False Claims Act

Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On September 30, 2013, a federal judge ordered Tuomey Healthcare System in Sumter, South Carolina, to pay $238 million in penalties and fines. The hospital system is accused of paying doctors to refer Medicare patients for treatments at the hospital, according to a number of media sources. The judge granted the government’s request to impose Stark law penalties and False Claims Act fines. The lawsuit against Tuomey was initially filed in 2005, by a whistle-blowing physician.

This corrected fine actually lowers the amount originally ordered […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:52-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Adventist Health System Settles Whistleblower Lawsuit

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On December 18, 2013, Adventist Health System/Sunbelt Inc., the parent company of Orlando-based Florida Hospital, settled a whistleblower lawsuit, according to court documents. The whistleblower lawsuit, filed in 2010, stated that seven Adventist hospitals in Florida overbilled the federal government between 1995 and 2009, allegedly resulting in tens of millions of dollars in false claims, according to an article in the Orlando Sentinel and other sources.

Click here to read the Order of Dismissal.

Previous reports from the Orlando Sentinel stated that the lawsuit could have damages of more than $100 million, but […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:53-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, Medicaid, Medicare, qui tam, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Duke University Health System Pays $1 Million to Settle Allegations of False Claims in Whistleblower Lawsuit

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On March 21, 2014, Duke University Health System in Raleigh, North Carolina, settled a whistleblower/qui tam lawsuit, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The lawsuit, filed in 2012, stated that the three-hospital academic medical center is alleged to have fraudulently inflated its Medicare bills by unbundling a number of cardiac services and billing for physician assistants’ (PAs) time illegally. Duke University Health System agreed to pay $1 million to resolve these allegations.

Click here to read the press release from the DOJ.

Duke University Health System Accused of Submitting False Claims to […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:56-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Kansas Cancer Treatment Center and Owner Pay $2.9 Million Settlement for Alleged False Claims Act Violations

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

A whistleblower or qui tam lawsuit against a cancer treatment facility in Kansas has been settled. On April 14, 2014, the Hope Cancer Institute and its owner agreed to pay $2.9 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. According to the complaint, it is alleged that the cancer treatment facility submitted false claims for drugs and services that were not provided to beneficiaries.

Click here to read the entire whistleblower complaint filed in 2012.

The complaint identifies three former […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:56-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, Medicare, Medicare Audit, Medicare Fraud, Our Firm, qui tam, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

A Prescription for Love Fraud

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

In May of 2015, Tricare began screening all compound medication prescriptions to ensure approval of each ingredient with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This decision came after a finding of a significant increase in compound drug prescriptions reimbursed by Tricare over the last year.

In April 2015, just four months into the fiscal year, it was already determined that total costs for compound drug prescriptions filled for Tricare recipients were likely to come close to $1 billion. If the trend continues, the Defense Health Agency expects it may need to reallocate funds at the […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:01-04:00June 1, 2018|FDA, Health care Law, Healthcare fraud, Pharmaceutical Drugs, Pharmacists, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Chinese Nationals Indicted in Alleged U.S. Test-Taking Scheme

By George F. Indest, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

Fifteen Chinese citizens living in the United States reportedly conspired to take college entrance exams for others so they could obtain student visas, according to the Associated Press. The frauds allegedly took standardized exams including the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

The Test-Taking Conspiracy.

According to BBC News, the scheme reportedly took place between 2011 and 2015, mainly in western Pennsylvania. Six individuals named in the indictment were identified as students who supposedly paid up to $6,000 to have other individuals, also […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:59-04:00June 1, 2018|Health care Law, Health Law, In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

Watch Out for Legal Pitfalls Associated with Telemedicine

By Lance O. Leider, J.D., The Health Law Firm

With all the new technologies, mobile medical applications, expansion of access to health care under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the emphasis on quality care, telemedicine is at the forefront of the health care industry.

Now is the time to educate yourself on the new opportunities in practicing telemedicine. As with any new health care business model, you also have to assess the risks and be sure you are complying with the ever increasing number of regulations.

Where Telemedicine Stands Today.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) can be credited for the telemedicine revival. In 2011, CMS issued a final rule […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:57-04:00June 1, 2018|HHS, The Health Law Firm Blog|