Tag archives: FCA

Deputy Associate Attorney General Stephen Cox Addresses DOJ’s False Claims Act Enforcement Priorities and Regulatory Reforms

Photo of Chandra Westergaard (US)Photo of Keith Rosen (US)Photo of Rachel Park (US)By Chandra Westergaard (US), Keith Rosen (US) and Rachel Park (US) on Posted in Enforcement, General
On January 27, Deputy Associate Attorney General Stephen Cox delivered keynote remarks on the False Claims Act (FCA) at the 2020 Advanced Forum on False Claims and Qui Tam Enforcement. Mr. Cox’s remarks described the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) ongoing enforcement efforts and priorities, as well as outlined DOJ’s regulatory reform agenda and some of its … Continue reading

New entity added to OIG “high risk – heightened scrutiny” list

Photo of Savannah Wiseman (US)Photo of Benjamin Wallfisch (US)By Savannah Wiseman (US) and Benjamin Wallfisch (US) on Posted in Enforcement
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has added a new entity, Ridgeview Rehab & Nursing Center, LLC (Ridgeview), to its list of individuals and entities designated as “high risk – heightened scrutiny.” The “high risk – heightened scrutiny” list is part of the OIG’s fraud risk indicator tool, which the OIG made public last year. … Continue reading

OIG Publishes Guidance on Grant Self-Disclosure Program

Photo of Carol Poindexter (US)Photo of Savannah Wiseman (US)Photo of Benjamin Wallfisch (US)By Carol Poindexter (US), Savannah Wiseman (US) and Benjamin Wallfisch (US) on Posted in Enforcement
Recently, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) published newly-issued guidance on the HHS OIG Grant Self-Disclosure Program (“Program”), which creates a formal framework for recipients, sub-recipients, and applicants for federal grant money to disclose potential violations of federal criminal, civil, or administrative law that may impact federally-awarded grants. Similar to the OIG’s Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol, … Continue reading

The Supreme Court resolves circuit split on FCA statute of limitations period

Photo of Maxwell Karasek (US)Photo of Carol Poindexter (US)Photo of Zach Smith (US)By Maxwell Karasek (US), Carol Poindexter (US) and Zach Smith (US) on Posted in Enforcement
On May 13, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously affirmed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, holding that the False Claims Act’s (“FCA”) limitations period in 31 U.S.C.(b)(2) applies to “relator-initiated actions” in which the Government declines to intervene and that a relator in a nonintervened suit is not “the … Continue reading

DOJ issues guidance on cooperation credit in FCA investigations

Photo of Michael Koon (US)Photo of Carol Poindexter (US)Photo of Zach Smith (US)By Michael Koon (US), Carol Poindexter (US) and Zach Smith (US) on Posted in Enforcement
On May 7, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) released an update to its previous 2017 guidance (“Updated Guidance”) outlining when the government will award cooperation credit to defendants in False Claims Act (“FCA”) investigations. Under the Updated Guidance, set forth at Justice Manual Section 4-4.112, defendants can earn cooperation credit in FCA cases in three … Continue reading

Deregulatory wave prompts renewed examination of Stark Law application

Photo of Debbi Johnstone (US)Photo of Joseph Keillor (US)Photo of Sarah Jean Kilker (US)By Debbi Johnstone (US), Joseph Keillor (US) and Sarah Jean Kilker (US) on Posted in Regulatory
In another sign that the Trump administration’s penchant for regulatory flexibility may apply to the federal fraud-and-abuse regulatory regimes, CMS administrator Seema Verma announced during an AHA Town Hall webcast on January 17 that CMS is convening an interagency group to examine possible ways to minimize the regulatory barriers of fraud-and-abuse laws, including the Stark … Continue reading

Rumors of sea change in DOJ policy potentially confirmed by two recent memos

Photo of Carol Poindexter (US)By Carol Poindexter (US) on Posted in Enforcement
Rumors of a significant shift in U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) policy were confirmed last week when a privileged and confidential internal DOJ memo was leaked to the press. The memo outlines seven factors government attorneys should use for evaluating whether the government should seek dismissal of qui tam actions filed under the federal False Claims … Continue reading

Relator’s pharmacy allegations dismissed; government’s U&C allegations survive

Health Law PulseBy on Posted in Enforcement
Although a Florida compounding pharmacy has scored a win against a whistleblower’s allegations, it continues to defend against the government’s allegations of improper inflation of its Usual & Customary charges submitted to TRICARE. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida granted motions to dismiss with prejudice in favor of the pharmacy RS … Continue reading

Court applies Escobar, overturns $350M False Claims Act verdict

Health Law PulseBy on Posted in Enforcement
In Universal Health Services v. U.S. ex rel Escobar, the United States Supreme Court emphasized the importance of the materiality standard in False Claims Act cases. Since that decision, litigants have anxiously awaited further guidance on how Escobar’s instructions would be applied by lower courts. In U.S. ex rel Ruckh v. Salus Rehabilitation, LLC et … Continue reading

Third and Fifth circuits accept materiality arguments in throwing out qui tam cases

Health Law PulseBy on Posted in Enforcement
On November 16, 2017, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the grant of summary judgment in favor of CVS Caremark, Corp. (“CVS Caremark”), finding that although the lower court’s reasoning was flawed, the whistleblower Anthony Spay failed to establish the requisite materiality element of a False Claims Act (“FCA”) lawsuit. In making its decision, … Continue reading

DOJ policy shift in qui tam litigation?

Photo of Callan Edquist (US)By Callan Edquist (US) on Posted in Enforcement
Last week, a senior US Department of Justice official appeared to announce a surprising, and potentially significant, shift in policy regarding qui tam litigation. Michael Granston, director of the commercial litigation branch of the fraud section in the DOJ’s civil division, said during a speech that the DOJ will be moving to dismiss False Claims … Continue reading

Judge doubles down on finding of materiality in FCA case

Photo of Joseph Keillor (US)Photo of Sarah Jean Kilker (US)By Joseph Keillor (US) and Sarah Jean Kilker (US) on Posted in Enforcement
Federal courts continue to grapple with applying the “materiality” standard that is needed to cause a Stark Law violation or other underlying compliance matter to trigger False Claims Act liability. Although we have recently begun to gain a clearer view of what contractual requirements will not likely be viewed as material, at least one federal … Continue reading

Fourth circuit declines to rule on the appropriateness of statistical sampling in FCA cases

Photo of Carol Poindexter (US)By Carol Poindexter (US) on Posted in Enforcement
As expected after oral arguments, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to decide whether parties may use statistical sampling to prove False Claims Act liability in United States ex rel. Michaels v. Agape Senior Community, Inc., Nos. 15-2145 and 15-2147, by finding that the issue was fact-driven and thus not appropriate for interlocutory review.  … Continue reading

FCA case involving interpretation of 60 day overpayment rule settles

Health Law PulseBy on Posted in Enforcement
Last week, the United States and New York announced a settlement with Mount Sinai Health System for $3 million dollars to resolve allegations that Mount Sinai violated the False Claims Act by retaining overpayments for longer than 60 days after identifying them. The settlement is the first of its kind regarding the Affordable Care Act’s … Continue reading

Physicians’ compensation structure results in $17M Stark Law fine and CIA for hospital

Health Law PulseBy on Posted in Enforcement
Lexington Medical Center (“LMC”), a 428-bed hospital in South Carolina, has agreed to pay $17 million to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act (“FCA”), 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 et seq., and Physician Self-Referral Law (“Stark Law”), 42 U.S.C. § 1395nn, by allegedly providing improper financial incentives to 28 physicians for referrals.… Continue reading

SCOTUS endorses “implied certification” FCA claims

Photo of Justin Tschoepe (US)By Justin Tschoepe (US) on Posted in Enforcement
In a closely watched decision, the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously endorsed a version of the “implied false certification” theory of liability under the False Claims Act (“FCA”).  In a decision that leaves almost as many questions unanswered as it resolved, the Court held that a material omission on a claim for payment may give … Continue reading

FCA civil penalties to increase substantially under proposed rule

Photo of Carol Poindexter (US)Photo of Michael Koon (US)By Carol Poindexter (US) and Michael Koon (US) on Posted in Enforcement
Earlier this week, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) became the first federal agency to promulgate an interim final rule implementing provisions of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 intended to index civil penalties assessed under certain statutes to inflation. The RRB’s proposed final rule would double civil penalties assessed under the False Claims Act (FCA). … Continue reading
LexBlog