Whistleblower | The Health Law Firm Blog

Department of Justice Seeks up to $600 Million in Whistleblower Case Against Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Florida

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

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking for between $350 million and $600 million in damages and penalties from Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A Halifax employee filed the whistleblower lawsuit in 2009, accusing the hospital of illegal kickbacks to doctors, improper admissions and unnecessary spinal surgeries. The DOJ joined the case in 2011. Click here to read a previous blog on the DOJ joining the lawsuit.

If the government wins this case, it would amount to the largest whistleblower case of its kind in […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:48-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the News, Medicare, Medicare Fraud, 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|

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|

The American Academy of Family Physicians Releases Third List for Choosing Wisely Campaign

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

On September 24, 2013, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) released its third list of commonly prescribed tests and procedures that may not be necessary. This list is part of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation’s Choosing Wisely campaign.

The Choosing Wisely Campaign was initiated to give patients a catalog of procedures, tests and treatments that have been overused, misused or have been identified as ineffective. Since its launch in April 2012, more than fifty (50) medical specialty societies have created lists of procedures, tests and drug treatments that deserve […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:52-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, 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|

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|

New York-Based MRI Company to Pay $3.57 Million Settlement to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations in Whistleblower/Qui Tam Case

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

On August 27, 2013, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a settlement between the government and New York-based Imagimed LLC, its former owners and its former chief radiologist. This $3.57 million settlement resolves whistleblower/qui tam allegations of false reimbursement claims for radiology scans. The payment also settles accusations that the company violated the Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute.

Click here to read the press release from the DOJ.

Imagimed owns and operates 15 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facilities under the name Open MRI.

MRI Company Accused of Not Following Proper Safety Precautions and Committing Health […]

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

Oncologist Accused of Billing Medicare for Unnecessary Chemotherapy-Employee Whistleblowers Filed First Claim

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

A Michigan oncologist is accused of deliberately misdiagnosing patients with cancer so he could allegedly administer chemotherapy treatments and bill the government for those treatments, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). For more than two years the oncologist allegedly billed Medicare for $35 million in fraudulent claims. The oncologist was charged on August 19, 2013, with one count of Medicare fraud, according to the DOJ.

On top of submitting false claims to Medicare, a criminal complaint alleges a number of other serious charges. These include hiring doctors who may not have been properly […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:51-04:00June 1, 2018|In the News, Medicare, Medicare Fraud, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Florida Hospice to Pay $1 Million to Settle Whistleblower Lawsuit Over False Billing Claims

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

The Hernando-Pasco Hospice (HPH Hospice) in Hudson, Florida, agreed to pay $1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims for services to the Medicare and Medicaid Programs. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, the hospice allegedly admitted patients that did not meet the requirements for end-of-life care. This lawsuit was originally filed in 2010, by two former hospice employees. The announcement was made on July 22, 2013.

Click here to read the entire press release from the U.S. Attorney’s […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:50-04:00June 1, 2018|Medicaid, Medicare, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Fifty-Five Hospitals Around the Country to Pay the Government $34 Million Settlement for False Claims Allegations

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

Fifty-five (55) hospitals in twenty-one (21) states have agreed to pay the Department of Justice (DOJ) more than $34 million to settle allegations of Medicare fraud in a whistleblower case, according to the DOJ on July 2, 2013. The false claims allegations involve a back procedure called a kyphoplasty. The kyphoplasty can be performed safely and effectively as an outpatient procedure. However, it is alleged that hospitals were using more expensive, inpatient procedures to increase Medicare billings.

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

A kyphoplasty is used to treat spinal fractures […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:50-04:00June 1, 2018|In the News, Medicare, Medicare Fraud, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|