In February 2024, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced the results of its 2023 False Claims Act (“FCA”) enforcement efforts. Through those efforts, it obtained more than $2.6 billion in overall recoveries, and of that...more
In February 2024, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced the results of its 2023 False Claims Act (“FCA”) enforcement efforts. Through those efforts, it obtained more than $2.6 billion in overall recoveries, and of that...more
4/8/2024
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Life Sciences ,
Medicare Advantage ,
OIG ,
Stark Law
In February 2024, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced the results of its 2023 False Claims Act (“FCA”) enforcement efforts. Through those efforts, the government obtained more than $2.6 billion in overall recoveries,...more
4/1/2024
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Life Sciences ,
Medicare Advantage ,
OIG ,
Stark Law
DOJ, FTC, and HHS jointly announced the launching of a cross-government public inquiry into increasing private equity and corporate involvement in health care, the latest announcement in a string of public statements from the...more
Qui tam relators and the U.S. Department of Justice continue to expand usage of the False Claims Act....more
3/4/2024
/ Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Life Sciences ,
Qui Tam ,
Settlement ,
Whistleblowers ,
White Collar Crimes
In Short -
The Situation: On November 6, 2023, the Office of Inspector General ("OIG") of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") released its "General Compliance Program Guidance" ("GCPG"). The GCPG...more
12/1/2023
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Compliance Management Systems ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Draft Guidance ,
Federal Register ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Life Sciences ,
OIG ,
Physicians ,
Stark Law
The highly anticipated rule, which would make explicit that LDTs are medical devices subject to FDA oversight, proposes to end the agency's general enforcement discretion approach to such devices....more
10/31/2023
/ Comment Period ,
FDA Approval ,
Food and Drug Act ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Healthcare ,
Laboratory Developed Tests ,
Life Sciences ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform
This new legislation supports the Health Resources and Services Administration ("HRSA") modernization initiative announced in March, including several actions to strengthen accountability and transparency in the Organ...more
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General ("OIG") has provided insight into the applicability of the discount and group purchasing organization safe harbors to payments retained by pharmacy...more
The False Claims Act's ("FCA") use of qui tam relators (private individuals bringing suit on behalf of the government) has long raised both procedural and substantive challenges....more
The U.S. Supreme Court clarified the standard for a defendant's state of mind in False Claims Act ("FCA") cases, holding that a defendant acts "knowingly"—which the FCA defines also to include deliberate ignorance and...more
In Short -
The Situation: The Anti-Kickback Statute ("AKS") prohibits a defendant from willfully paying or receiving "remuneration" in exchange for referrals—and, in addition, also specifies that any claims "resulting...more
DOJ recovers a record $5.6 billion from FCA cases in 2021, the largest annual total since 2014. -
The United States Department of Justice Civil Division ("DOJ") recently announced a recovery of more than $5.6 billion in...more
2/23/2022
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicare Advantage ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Qui Tam
Health care industry participants frequently operate under nuanced legal frameworks that apply to the receipt of government funds. A breach of these regulations can open the door to draconian liability under the FCA even when...more
2/14/2022
/ False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Liability ,
Qui Tam ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Relators ,
Scienter ,
Statutory Interpretation
Exercising the government's discretion to dismiss meritless FCA cases, DOJ argues patient support services are "appropriate and beneficial to federal healthcare programs and their beneficiaries."
This week, the Department...more
The Situation: The total number of Corporate Integrity Agreements ("CIAs") between the Office of Inspector General ("OIG") and health care entities has been decreasing, and the OIG recently decided it would spotlight entities...more
12/19/2018
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Corporate Integrity Agreement ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
OIG ,
Physicians ,
Settlement ,
Settlement Agreements
The Situation: In what may indicate a sea change in terms of who the Department of Justice ("DOJ") is willing to pursue in False Claims Act cases, a private equity firm has been named as a co-defendant in a False Claims Act...more
3/2/2018
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medical Monitoring ,
Pharmacies ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Private Equity Firms ,
Regulatory Requirements