false claims act | The Health Law Firm Blog

Specialty Pharmacy Settles Lawsuit Over Illegal Kickbacks

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

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on December 27, 2012, that a specialty pharmacy, based in San Diego, California, has agreed to pay a $11.4 million settlement. That payment is to resolve allegations that the company used kickbacks to persuade doctors to write prescription for its products. The allegations came from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former employee.

Click here to read the press release from the DOJ.

Expensive Kickbacks Used on Doctors.

An article in Modern Healthcare states that the specialty pharmacy allegedly used tickets to sporting events, concerts, plays, spa outings, golf games and ski trips to bribe doctors to write prescriptions for its products. The company […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:09-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law, Whistleblower|Tags: Anti-kickback statue, Department of Justice (DOJ), false claims act, health care fraud, health care scheme, kickback scheme, legal representation, pharmaceutical company, qui tam suits, specialty pharmaceutical company, whistleblower, whistleblower attorney, whistleblower lawyers, whistleblower protection|Comments Off

Settlement Reached in WellCare False Claims Case

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

WellCare Health Plans Inc.(WellCare) has reached a settlement in its False Claims Act case. WellCare will pay $137.5 million to the federal government and nine states to settle four lawsuits. The lawsuits alleged violations of the False Claims Act.

WellCare is based in Tampa, Florida. The company provides managed health care services for approximately 2.6 million Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries across the United States.

WellCare Allegedly Submitted False Claims to Medicare and Medicaid Programs.

The lawsuits accused WellCare of submitting false claims to Medicare and Medicaid programs. WellCare allegedly falsely inflated the amount it claimed to be spending on medical care. Allegedly, this was done in order to avoid returning money to Medicaid and other programs in various states, including the Florida […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:55-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Nursing Law Blog|Tags: audit, billing, Department of Justice, DOJ, false claims act, Florida Medicaid, fraud defense attorneys, fraud prevention, fraud schemes, government health programs, health care fraud, lawyers, legal representation, managed care, medicaid, medicare, qui tam, realtor, settlement, Wellcare Health Plans, whistleblower|2 Comments

Feds File Two Lawsuits Against Novartis for Allegedly Giving Kickback to Pharmacists and Physicians

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

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NPC) is currently fielding two different lawsuits, filed just days apart from each other, by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The first lawsuit was filed on April 23, 2013, alleging the company gave illegal kickbacks to pharmacists. A second lawsuit was filed on April 26, 2013, alleging illegal kickbacks were paid by NPC to health care providers. According to the DOJ, the government’s complaint seeks damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act, and under the common law for paying kickbacks to doctors to induce them to prescribe NPC products that were reimbursed by federal health care programs.

Click here to read the entire press release from the DOJ.

Doctors and Pharmacists Allegedly […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:12-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Legal Defense for Pharmacists, Pharmacist, Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law, Whistleblower|Tags: anti-kickback statute, attorney's fees, CHAMPUS, defense attorney, defense lawyer, Department of Justice (DOJ), doctor, doctor kickbacks, false billing, false claims, false claims act, Florida health care attorney, Florida health care lawyer, health law, hospital, kickbacks, legal representation, medicaid, medicaid audit, Medicaid false claims, Medicaid fraud, medical group, medicare, medicare audit, Medicare false claims, Medicare fraud, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NPC), pharmacist, pharmacy, physician, qui taim, qui tam relator, qui tam suits, the health law firm, TRICARE, unnecessary procedures, Veterans Administration, whistleblower, whistleblower attorney, whistleblower lawyer, whistleblower protection|Comments Off

Generic Drug Maker Ranbaxy Pleaded Guilty to Claims of Adulterated Drugs-Must Pay $500 Million Fine

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

Generic drug maker Ranbaxy USA Inc., pleaded guilty to drug safety violations and will be responsible for paying $500 million in criminal and civil fines, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The fines will resolve claims that the manufacturer sold inferior drugs and made false statements to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about manufacturing practices at two factories in India. This announcement was made by the DOJ on May 13, 2013. This settlement is the largest drug settlement to date involving a generic drug manufacturer and drug safety.

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

Ranbaxy USA Inc., is a subsidiary of Indian generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited. The entities listed in the settlement include: Ranbaxy, […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:14-04:00May 15, 2018|Categories: Pharmacy, Pharmacy Law|Tags: adulterated drugs, Civil forfeiture, defense attorney, defense lawyer, Department of Justice (DOJ), false claims act, false statements, Florida Office of the Attorney General (AG), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), forfeiture, generic drug manufacturer, generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), pharmacist attorney, pharmacist lawyer, pharmacy attorney, pharmacy lawyer, Ranbaxy USA Inc., the health law firm, U.S. Food and Cosmetic Act|Comments Off