According to a new report by healthcare defense attorney Kevin McGinty, a review of False Claims Act data recently released by the Department of Justice shows that “health care-related cases—specifically, privately-instituted health care-related qui tam cases—have overwhelmingly been the largest factor in the growth in FCA cases and recoveries over the past twenty years.” McGinty notes that “for most of the past ten years, about 80% of all health care-related False Claims Act recoveries has resulted from qui tam lawsuits.”
Bracker & Marcus LLC is at the forefront of healthcare-based FCA litigation and is proud to have taken part in this “explosion” of qui tam litigation. Our attorneys represent whistleblowers in Medicare and Medicaid False Claims Act litigation against hospitals, surgical groups, private practitioners, locum tenens, dentists, dialysis centers, imaging centers, mental health providers, behavioral health providers, hospices, home health providers, pharmacies, laboratories, private universities, and providers of durable medical equipment, among other medical practitioners.
In 2015 alone, in healthcare-related False Claims Act cases, we helped whistleblowers and the government to achieve settlements totaling over $18 million, including but not limited to:
Up to $7.2 million from Nashville Pharmacy Services for dispensing prescriptions to deceased patients and automatically refilling prescriptions without authorization, among other allegations.
Almost $7 million from Pediatric Services of America for failure to return overpayments to Medicare and Medicaid.
$3 million from a hospice and home healthcare provider for admitting patients who were not terminally ill.
$520,000 and a corporate integrity agreement from Irwin County Hospital, for violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and lack of supervision during dangerous procedures.
Over $320,00 from a dentist, Dr. Dennis Jaffe, for false billing and performing unnecessary procedures.
Fraud accounts for approximately 10%–or $272 billion–of our nation’s healthcare costs. That 80% of recoveries is the direct result of qui tam relators emphasizes just how vital whistleblowers are to our country and to the economy. If you would like to report fraud being committed against Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, or any other government insurance program, please contact us for a free evaluation of whether a False Claims Act case is right for you.