OIG Exclusion: Do You Know if You’re on the List?

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

Have you ever faced a disciplinary action against your professional license? Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense? If yes, then you may have also been terminated from the federal Medicare Program or your state Medicaid Program.

Many health care professionals don’t think about the repercussions that an exclusion action by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) can have on their professional career. Whether you are a physician, nurse, dentist, psychologist or other health professional, if you allow yourself to be excluded from the Medicare Program, devastating economic results may follow.

First, Check the List.

The first step is to check if you are on the federal government’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE). You can check that list here: http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov/.

Next, to see if you are on Florida’s list of individuals and entities who have been terminated from Florida’s Medicaid Program, click here.

Collateral Consequences to OIG Exclusion or Termination.

Termination or exclusion can have many collateral consequences about which most health care professionals and providers are not aware. These Include:

– Termination for cause from all state Medicaid Programs.

– Loss of state professional licenses in other states and jurisdictions.

– Loss of hospital, ambulatory surgical center (ASC), and nursing home clinical privileges.

– Removal from the provider panels of health insurers.

– Loss of ability to contract or work for any individual or entity that contracts with the Medicare Program in any capacity. This includes physicians, medical groups, hospitals, healthcare systems, ambulatory surgical centers, skilled nursing facilities, health insurance companies, etc.

– Placement on the General Services Administration (GSA) Exclusions List (or “Debarred” List) from government contracting.

– Loss of ability to contract or work for any individual or entity that contracts with the federal government in any capacity.

To learn more on the consequences of being excluded, click here.

You’re On the List, Now What?

So, you just found yourself on a state’s excluded or terminated list or on the federal LEIE, don’t panic! All is not lost. There are ways to become reinstated.

The OIG exclusion list is a complicated regulatory program which requires experience and perseverance to navigate. It is highly recommended that you do not attempt to handle removal without qualified assistance. If your application is denied, even for hyper-technical reasons, you may be barred from reapplying for one full calendar year. Therefore, it is crucial that your application is complete and correct, and you are fully eligible for removal. To read a past blog about reinstatement after OIG removal, click here.

Contact Attorney Experienced in Defending Against Action to Exclude an Individual or Business from the Medicare Program and Assisting in Reinstatement Applications.

The attorneys of The Health Law Firm have experience in dealing with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and defending against action to exclude an individual or business entity from the Medicare Program, in administrative hearings on this type of action, in submitting applications requesting reinstatement to the Medicare Program after exclusion, and removal from the List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE).

To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

KeyWords:  Office of Inspector General, OIG, OIG exclusion list, OIG reinstatement representation, representation for physicians, representation for physician reimbursement, licensure defense attorney, professional license representation, licensure defense representation, representation for health care professionals, investigations analyst, applying for reinstatement, application for reinstatement, Medicare exclusion attorney, OIG hearing, request for reinstatement, removal from list of excluded individuals and entities (LEIE), application to OIG, Medicare reinstatement representation, Medicaid reinstatement representation, healthcare fraud lawyers, Medicare defense attorney, Medicaid defense lawyer, Florida defense attorney, Florida defense lawyer, The Health Law Firm reviews, health law blog, OIG Exclusion, healthcare fraud,

“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of and a registered service mark of The Health Law Firm, P.A., a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2018 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

OIG Exclusion: What You Need to Know if You’re on the List

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

Have you ever had disciplinary action against your license as a health care professional? Have you ever been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense? Have you ever been convicted of fraud or patient neglect? If so, then you may have also been terminated or excluded from the federal Medicare Program or your state Medicaid Program.

Many health professionals don’t understand the significant repercussions that an exclusion action by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) can have on their career and employment. Whether you are a physician, nurse, dentist, psychologist or other health professional, if you allow yourself to be excluded from the Medicare Program, devastating economic results may follow.

Check the List.

To check if you are on the federal government’s List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE), click here.

To see if you are on Florida’s list of individuals and entities who have been terminated from Florida’s Medicaid Program, click here.

Collateral Consequences to OIG Exclusion or Termination.

Termination or exclusion can have many collateral consequences about which most health care providers are not aware. These Include:

– Termination for cause from all state Medicaid Programs.

– Loss of state professional licenses in other states and jurisdictions.

– Loss of hospital, ambulatory surgical center (ASC), and nursing home clinical privileges.

– Removal from the provider panels of health insurers.

– Loss of ability to contract or work for any individual or entity that contracts with the Medicare Program in any capacity (officer agent, shareholder, director, employee or independent contractor, even for non-Medicare products and services such as office supplies, building and construction services, software and systems support, etc.), including physicians, medical groups, hospitals, healthcare systems, ambulatory surgical centers, skilled nursing facilities, health insurance companies, etc.

– Placement on the General Services Administration (GSA) Exclusions List (or “Debarred” List) from government contracting.

– Loss of ability to contract or work for any individual or entity that contracts with the federal government in any capacity (officer agent, shareholder, director, employee or independent contractor, even for such services as construction projects, janitorial contracts, computer equipment and software services, real estate brokers on federally underwritten housing loans, sales of motor vehicles, products and services to the government, etc.

To learn more on the consequences of being excluded, click here.

You’re on the List, Now What?

If you find yourself on a state’s excluded or terminated list or if you find yourself on the federal LEIE, all is not lost. There are ways to become reinstated.

The OIG exclusion list is a complicated regulatory program which requires experience and perseverance to navigate. It is highly recommended that you do not attempt to handle removal without qualified assistance. If your application is denied, even for hyper-technical reasons, you may be barred from reapplying for one full calendar year. Therefore, it is crucial that your application is complete and correct, and you are fully eligible for removal. To read a past blog about reinstatement after OIG removal, click here.

Contact Attorney Experienced in Defending Against Action to Exclude an Individual or Business from the Medicare Program and Assisting in Reinstatement Applications.

The attorneys of The Health Law Firm have experience in dealing with the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and defending against action to exclude an individual or business entity from the Medicare Program, in administrative hearings on this type of action, in submitting applications requesting reinstatement to the Medicare Program after exclusion, and removal from the List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE).

To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

KeyWords: Exclusion list, Office of Inspector General, OIG, OIG exclusion list, OIG reinstatement representation, representation for physicians, representation for physician reimbursement, licensure defense attorney, professional license representation, licensure defense representation, representation for health care professionals, investigations analyst, applying for reinstatement, Application for Reinstatement, Medicare Exclusion attorney, OIG Hearing, Request for Reinstatement, Removal from List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE), Application to OIG, Medicare Reinstatement representation, Medicaid Reinstatement representation, healthcare fraud lawyes, Medicare defense attorney, Medicaid defense lawyer, Florida defense attorney, Florida defense lawyer, The Health Law Firm reviews

“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of and a registered service mark of The Health Law Firm, P.A., a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2018 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

NYC Doctor Gets Prison Term for Posing as Clinic Owner in $30 Million Fraud Scheme

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

On August 22, 2018, a doctor received a sentence of one year and a day in prison from a New York federal court for his part in a $30 million scheme to defraud Medicare and the state Medicaid program. The doctor admitted to posing as the owner of a medical clinic and falsely claiming to have seen hundreds of patients. He pled guilty on January 11, 2018, to health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, mail fraud and wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Lies and Cover-ups.

The New York City doctor accepted responsibility for falsely posing as the owner of two medical clinics that were actually owned by a corrupt businessman, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. Under New York state law, medical clinics must be owned and operated by a medical professional. The businessman was able to evade the requirements of the law by hiring doctors to pose as the owners of each clinic.

The corrupt businessman owned and operated six medical clinics in Brooklyn between 2007 and 2013 that fraudulently billed Medicare and Medicaid. Approximately $30 million was billed for services and supplies that were not provided, according to the indictment and other documents filed in federal court, as well as statements made during the doctor’s plea proceeding and sentencing.

Additionally, the doctor fabricated false medical records to support the fraudulent reimbursement claims and wrote prescriptions and referrals for medically unnecessary tests and supplies, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

The Punishment.

U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield sentenced the doctor to three years of supervised release in addition to the prison term for his role in the scheme. He was also ordered to pay restitution of approximately $1.83 million and to forfeit $269,412 in unlawful gains. The three other defendants involved in this case, a doctor, a physical therapist and an occupational therapist, are scheduled to go to trial at a later date. Click here to learn more.

“The Medicare and Medicaid programs are intended to provide essential medical services to the elderly and the needy, not to enrich corrupt doctors and other fraudsters,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message that those who cheat Medicare and Medicaid, including physicians who abuse their licenses and professional oaths, will be held accountable.” You can view the U.S. Attorney’s press release here.

To read about a similar case of fraud, click here to read one of my prior blogs.

This is a Dangerous Pitfall of Which all Doctors and Dentists Must Be Aware.

This is the type of situation we often see in which a doctor or dentist is victimized by dishonest and corrupt scofflaws, especially here in Florida. Most often an older physician who is retired or semi-retired is asked to become the “medical director” or “dental director” of a clinic that is owned in whole or in part by someone else. The physician may not even know who its true owners are. Later the physician or dentist is asked to serve as the “president” or as a “director” of the company and his/her name is placed on all the corporate papers. The trouble really begins, however, when the true owner(s) places the physician’s or dentist’s name on corporate papers and licensing papers as an “owner,” “shareholder” or “member” of the business, when the physician has paid nothing for the business and is not truly the owner.

If a physician or dentist becomes aware of such a scheme and gets out of it as soon as she or her finds out, the physician or dentist may be able to avoid prosecution or liability. However, if the physician or dentist continues to do business with the true owners as an “owner on paper,” “shell owner,” or “sham owner,” (they all mean the same thing, “fraudulent owner”) then he or she can be in for some serious civil and criminal liability.

There can be serious criminal penalties, such as the one reported on in this blog. For example, in Florida, it is a felony for a non-dentist (meaning a dentist not licensed in Florida) to own or control a dental clinic in Florida. It is also a criminal offense for a layperson (or a business entity owned by lay persons), to own or control a medical clinic, unless it goes through the strict health care clinic license requirements that Florida law requires. If the clinic is owned or operated illegally (even if it’s “just on paper”), then all of the bills it issue are also illegal.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced in Handling Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Cases.

The Health Law Firm’s attorneys routinely represent physicians, medical groups, clinics, pharmacies, durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, home health agencies, nursing homes and other healthcare providers in Medicare and Medicaid investigations, audits and recovery actions. They also represent them in preparing and submitting corrective action plans (CAPs), requests for reconsideration, and appeal hearings, including Medicare administrative hearings before an administrative law judge.

To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Sources:

Hanson, Joyce. “Doc Gets Year In Prison For Role In $30M Medicare Fraud.” Law360. (August 22, 2018). Web.

“NYC Doctor Gets Prison Term for Role in $30M Fraud Scam.” Bloomberg Law. (August 22, 2018). Web.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

KeyWords: Medicare and Medicaid fraud representation, false claims attorney, false claims representation, representation for overbilling, representation for DOJ investigations, fraud defense attorney, representation for medicare issues, representation for Medicaid issues, Medicare lawyer, Medicaid lawyer, health care fraud investigation representation, health care fraud defense representation, Medicare fraud representation, health care professional representation, representation for physicians, representation for physician reimbursement, licensure defense attorney, professional license representation, licensure defense representation, representation for health care professionals, The Health Law Firm reviews, reviews of The Health Law Firm attorneys, Florida health law defense lawyer, owner on paper, shell owner, or sham owner, paper owner, Florida dental clinic ownership, health care clinic license

“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of and a registered service mark of The Health Law Firm, P.A., a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2018 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

 

New Update to the Medicare Program Integrity Manual Issued by CMS

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

On June 1, 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued further guidance for reporting and reviewing final adverse legal actions (ALAs) in provider enrollment applications. Section 15.5.3 of the Medicare Program Integrity Manual (MPIM) was updated through Transmittal 797 to provide more guidance on the types of final adverse actions that must be disclosed. It also provides additional instruction to Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) on how to process disclosed final adverse actions.

New Language Basics.

The update in Section 15.5.3 of the MPIM clarifies the scope of disclosure, the time frames for disclosure and the evidence needed to support a disclosure.

Per the 2018 update, the list of reportable adverse actions includes: felony and misdemeanor convictions within the last 10 years; current or past suspensions/revocations of a medical license or an accreditation; current or past suspensions or exclusions imposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG); current or past debarments for participation in any Federal Executive Branch procurement or non-procurement program; Medicaid exclusions, revocations, or terminations; and current or past federal sanctions of any type.

New Guidance for MACs.

The second part of the update to the Manual provides additional guidance concerning how MACs will review applications and process the disclosure of final adverse actions. The update also covers how MACs should handle both reported and unreported adverse actions. MACs are now required to use either the Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System (PECOS) or the System for Award Management (SAM) to research whether individuals with ownership interest of the applicant entity are excluded.

To view all the language in Transmittal 797, which outlines the updated Section 15.5.3, click here.

For more information, visit CMS’ website.

Click here to view another recent update issued by CMS.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced in Representing Health Care Professionals and Providers.

At the Health Law Firm we provide legal services for all health care providers and professionals. This includes physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health counselors, home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities (SNF’s) durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, medical students and interns, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, pain management clinics, nursing homes, and any other healthcare provider. We represent facilities, individuals, groups and institutions in contracts, sales, mergers and acquisitions.

The lawyers of The Health Law Firm are experienced in both formal and informal administrative
hearings at both the state and the federal level. We represent health providers in Medicare and Medicaid audits and disputes on a routine basis.

To contact The Health Law Firm, please call (407) 331-6620 and visit our website at www.ThehealthLawFirm.com.

Sources:

King & Spalding. “CMS Updates Rules for Reporting Adverse Legal Action.” JD Supra. (August 25, 2018). Web.

Dhillion, Megan. “Update to the Medicare Program Integrity Manual: New Requirements Related to Disclosing and Processing Final Adverse Actions.” AHLA. (August 24, 2018). Web.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

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“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of and a registered service mark of The Health Law Firm, P.A., a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2018 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

 

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