whistleblower lawsuit | The Health Law Firm Blog

Department of Justice Seeks up to $600 Million in Whistleblower Case Against Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, Florida

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

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking for between $350 million and $600 million in damages and penalties from Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal. A Halifax employee filed the whistleblower lawsuit in 2009, accusing the hospital of illegal kickbacks to doctors, improper admissions and unnecessary spinal surgeries. The DOJ joined the case in 2011. Click here to read a previous blog on the DOJ joining the lawsuit.

If the government wins this case, it would amount to the largest whistleblower case of its kind in […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:48-04:00June 1, 2018|Health Care Industry, In the News, Medicare, Medicare Fraud, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Fifty-Five Hospitals Around the Country to Pay the Government $34 Million Settlement for False Claims Allegations

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

Fifty-five (55) hospitals in twenty-one (21) states have agreed to pay the Department of Justice (DOJ) more than $34 million to settle allegations of Medicare fraud in a whistleblower case, according to the DOJ on July 2, 2013. The false claims allegations involve a back procedure called a kyphoplasty. The kyphoplasty can be performed safely and effectively as an outpatient procedure. However, it is alleged that hospitals were using more expensive, inpatient procedures to increase Medicare billings.

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

A kyphoplasty is used to treat spinal fractures […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:50-04:00June 1, 2018|In the News, Medicare, Medicare Fraud, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Adventist Health System Settles Whistleblower Lawsuit

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

On December 18, 2013, Adventist Health System/Sunbelt Inc., the parent company of Orlando-based Florida Hospital, settled a whistleblower lawsuit, according to court documents. The whistleblower lawsuit, filed in 2010, stated that seven Adventist hospitals in Florida overbilled the federal government between 1995 and 2009, allegedly resulting in tens of millions of dollars in false claims, according to an article in the Orlando Sentinel and other sources.

Click here to read the Order of Dismissal.

Previous reports from the Orlando Sentinel stated that the lawsuit could have damages of more than $100 million, but […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:53-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, Medicaid, Medicare, qui tam, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Duke University Health System Pays $1 Million to Settle Allegations of False Claims in Whistleblower Lawsuit

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

On March 21, 2014, Duke University Health System in Raleigh, North Carolina, settled a whistleblower/qui tam lawsuit, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). The lawsuit, filed in 2012, stated that the three-hospital academic medical center is alleged to have fraudulently inflated its Medicare bills by unbundling a number of cardiac services and billing for physician assistants’ (PAs) time illegally. Duke University Health System agreed to pay $1 million to resolve these allegations.

Click here to read the press release from the DOJ.

Duke University Health System Accused of Submitting False Claims to […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:56-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

Kansas Cancer Treatment Center and Owner Pay $2.9 Million Settlement for Alleged False Claims Act Violations

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

A whistleblower or qui tam lawsuit against a cancer treatment facility in Kansas has been settled. On April 14, 2014, the Hope Cancer Institute and its owner agreed to pay $2.9 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program. According to the complaint, it is alleged that the cancer treatment facility submitted false claims for drugs and services that were not provided to beneficiaries.

Click here to read the entire whistleblower complaint filed in 2012.

The complaint identifies three former […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:56-04:00June 1, 2018|False Claims Act, Medicare, Medicare Audit, Medicare Fraud, Our Firm, qui tam, The Health Law Firm Blog, Whistleblower|

“Doctor of Death” Trial Could Ignite Stricter Oversight in the Healthcare Industry

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

On paper, one Detroit-area oncologist appeared to be a wildly successful professional with impeccable medical credentials. According to his medical practice’s website, he went to medical school at Cornell Medical College, did an internal medicine residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, and then completed a medical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a very well-respected facility. The oncologist ran a professional practice of seven locations with a total of 60 employees.

However, on September 24, 2014, his reputation and accolades faded when he pleaded guilty to intentionally and wrongfully diagnosing healthy […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:00:58-04:00June 1, 2018|In the News, The Health Law Firm Blog|

South Florida Nursing Home Chain to Pay $17M in Whistleblower Suit

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
A Miami-based nursing home chain has agreed to pay a record $17 million to settle a False Claims Act suit that was brought by its former Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The United States Attorney’s Office claims that Plaza Health Network, formerly known as Hebrew Homes, allegedly doled out illegal payments to physicians for referrals of Medicare patients from 2006 through 2013.

A Sophisticated Kickback Scheme.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Plaza Health Network hired physicians to serve as medical directors, but in reality these were “ghost positions.” These […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:59-04:00May 15, 2018|Nursing Law Blog|