Office of Inspector General (OIG) interview defense attorney

Florida Surgeon, Device Company Owner Arrested For Paying Bribes, Kickbacks

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

On September 7, 2021, federal prosecutors announced the arrest of a Florida surgeon and owner of device company SpineFrontier Inc on charges of bribing surgeons to use products by paying sham consulting fees.

Accused in an indictment in Boston federal court for violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and conspiracy to commit money laundering, is the company’s founder and CEO from Florida. Also charged in the indictment were the company’s chief financial officer from Massachusetts and the device company itself. The charges of AKS violations carry a maximum prison sentence […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-07-13T20:00:06-04:00July 15, 2024|Health Facilities Law Blog, In the Know|

18 Former NBA Players Indicted For Alleged $4 Million Health Care Fraud Scheme

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

On October 7, 2021, 18 former NBA players were charged in New York federal court for an alleged health insurance fraud scheme to rip off the league’s benefit plan, according to an indictment filed in the Southern District of New York. The defendants allegedly engaged in a scheme from at least 2017 through 2020 which involved the submission of fraudulent claims for reimbursement of medical and dental services that were not provided, prosecutors said. The claims totaled nearly $4 million.

The NBA Players Health and Welfare Benefit Plan provide additional medical coverage on top of […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-05-04T20:00:14-04:00May 6, 2024|Health Facilities Law Blog|

Centene Agrees to Pay $19 Million to Washington State For Medicaid Fraud Allegations

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

On August 24, 2022, managed healthcare company, Centene Corporation, agreed to pay $19 million to the State of Washington to settle fraud allegations. Centene owns and operates Sunshine State Health Plan, d/b/a Sunshine Health, in Florida. In addition, it has been reported that Centene/Sunshine Health reportedly has over $31 billion in contracts with the state of Florida alone. Click here to learn more.

The agreement with Washington State resolves allegations that it overcharged its Medicaid program for pharmacy benefit management services, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced in a […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:09-04:00March 14, 2024|Nursing Law Blog|

Centene Will Pay $19 Million to Washington State For Medicaid Fraud Allegations

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

On August 24, 2022, managed healthcare company, Centene Corporation, agreed to pay $19 million to the State of Washington to settle fraud allegations. Centene owns and operates Sunshine State Health Plan, d/b/a Sunshine Health, in Florida. In addition, it has been reported that Centene/Sunshine Health reportedly has over $31 billion in contracts with the state of Florida alone. Click here to learn more.

The agreement with Washington State resolves allegations that it overcharged its Medicaid program for pharmacy benefit management services, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced in a […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:11-04:00February 23, 2024|Pharmacy Law Blog|

Centene Will Pay $19 Million Settlement to Washington State For Medicaid Fraud Allegations

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

On August 24, 2022, managed healthcare company, Centene Corporation, agreed to pay $19 million to the State of Washington to settle fraud allegations. Centene owns and operates Sunshine State Health Plan, d/b/a Sunshine Health, in Florida. In addition, it has been reported that Centene/Sunshine Health reportedly has over $31 billion in contracts with the state of Florida alone. Click here to learn more.

The agreement with Washington State resolves allegations that it overcharged its Medicaid program for pharmacy benefit management services, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced in a […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:13-04:00February 1, 2024|Health Facilities Law Blog|

Centene to Pay Washington State $19 Million to Resolve Medicaid Fraud Allegations

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

On August 24, 2022, managed healthcare company, Centene Corporation, agreed to pay $19 million to the State of Washington to settle fraud allegations. Centene owns and operates Sunshine State Health Plan, d/b/a Sunshine Health, in Florida. In addition, it has been reported that Centene/Sunshine Health reportedly has over $31 billion in contracts with the state of Florida alone. Click here to learn more.

The agreement with Washington State resolves allegations that it overcharged its Medicaid program for pharmacy benefit management services, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced in a […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:14-04:00January 8, 2024|Mental Health Law Blog|

What Payers Are Considered to Be “Federal Payers” Under the Federal Anti-kickback Statute?

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

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits remuneration in relation to the provision of a “good, facility, service, or item for which payment may be made in whole or in part under a Federal health care program.” 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b). The Anti-Kickback Statute goes on to define “federal health care program” as any government-funded plan or program that provides health benefits or any state health care program. 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(f). But exactly which payers are considered Federal health care programs? […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:21-04:00September 5, 2023|Mental Health Law Blog|

Doctor Indicted in $1.3 Million Medicare Fraud Kickback Case Seeks Reinstatement of Medicare Billing Privileges

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

On November 2, 2021, a doctor and his wife who had been indicted for their roles in a $1.3 million Medicare fraud scheme asked a New Jersey court to eliminate a bail condition. The doctor argued that the bail condition impeded his ability to practice medicine. Additionally, the doctor indicated that he was seeking to directly address CMS and the Medical Practice’s ability to bill Medicare and Medicaid.

According to the brief, the defendants argued that the court should not get involved in a licensed physician’s medical practice. They argued that this is the role […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:28-04:00June 10, 2023|Health Facilities Law Blog|

Centene Reaches $166 Million Settlement With Texas Over Its Medicaid Drug Pricing

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

The nation’s largest Medicaid insurer, Centene, has agreed to pay $165.6 million to Texas to resolve claims that it overcharged the state’s Medicaid program for pharmacy services. The deal was signed on July 11, 2022, but wasn’t publicly announced until September 19, 2022. The agreement makes Texas the 12th state to settle pharmacy billing claims with St. Louis-based Centene. It’s also the health insurance giant’s biggest payout over its drug pricing practices.

The Allegations Across Many States.

The allegations focused on Centene’s pharmacy benefit manager business, claiming it overbilled the state’s Medicaid programs for prescription drugs and pharmacy […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:37-04:00October 18, 2022|Nursing Law Blog|

Doctors Beware: Genetic Testing Scams Rip off Government Payers for Hundreds of Millions – Part 1 of 2

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

Several genetic testing companies have come into the spotlight for allegations of ripping off Medicare and False Claims Act (FCA) violations. Health care professionals need to be aware of these types of schemes and the dangers they may face if involved. In each of these cases, the companies agreed to pay a settlement in the millions to resolve allegations they submitted claims for unnecessary genetic testing.

This is part one of a two-part blog series. […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T09:59:45-04:00March 25, 2021|Health Facilities Law Blog|