September 04, 2014
DOJ settles first case involving Stark violations by a physician practice
The Department of Justice broke new ground last month in its ongoing campaign to aggressively enforce the Stark Law to combat improper payment for referrals. New York Heart Center settled a case with the...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
September 03, 2014
Plainspoken Grassley criticizes ludicrous corporate arguments against the False Claims Act
One of the best and most straightforward arguments against the Chamber of Commerce’s efforts to weaken the False Claims Act was made by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) at a House hearing last month. Paul...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
August 18, 2014
Medicare fraud overwhelms government; data analysis not enough
Three major newspapers recently have taken an in-depth look at various aspects of Medicare fraud and government enforcement efforts. All of them overlooked the effect that “qui tam” (whistleblower)...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
March 13, 2014
First federal fraud investigation into PODs
For apparently the first time, federal enforcement officials are investigating a medical device firm known as a physician-owned distributorship (POD), according to Modern Healthcare magazine. The investigation...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
February 28, 2014
West Virginia rejects whistleblower bill
Disappointing news for whistleblowers and all who want to stop corporate fraud: The West Virginia House of Delegates this week rejected a bill that would have given whistleblowers job protection and a...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
February 04, 2014
$11.6 million paid to a doctor — kickback or coincidence?
With the threat of the Stark anti-kickback laws, companies have learned to disguise kickbacks paid to medical providers in various ways. CareFusion’s $40 million settlement with the Justice Department...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
January 17, 2014
West Virginia puts whistleblower bill on hold
Discouraging news out of West Virginia: The whistleblower bill the state legislature has been considering has been put on hold. In a unanimous vote the House of Delegates’ Rules Committee put the...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
January 17, 2014
West Virginia legislative committee approves whistleblower law
West Virginia is considering a legislative proposal to enact a false claim law that would protect and reward whistleblowers with information about fraud against the state. The West Virginia House Judiciary...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
December 27, 2013
Qui tam cases helped recover $2.9 billion in 2013
The federal government recovered more than $3.8 billion in fiscal year 2013 from False Claims Act cases, in large part due to qui tam (whistleblower) cases, according to recent statistics released by the...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights
November 19, 2013
Phillips & Cohen attorney moderates webinar for judges on False Claims Act litigation
Phillips & Cohen partner Colette Matzzie today moderated a webinar for federal district and appellate judges on “Recurring Issues in False Claims Litigation,” sponsored by the Federal Judicial...
Posted In Whistleblower Law Insights