Author Archives: Site Administrator
Don’t Be a Victim: Watch for These Medicare Scams
Targeting unsuspecting Medicare beneficiaries has become big business for scammers. Once a scammer gets a hold of a Medicare number, they will bill Medicare for services and equipment that was never provided, or bill for supplies sent to the beneficiary that were neither needed nor wanted. Don’t let yourself fall prey to one of… Read More »
Education Fraud is a Growing Problem
While we often spend a lot of time on this blog talking about healthcare fraud, given that Florida is ground zero for Medicare fraudsters, everyone should be aware of another growing area, education fraud. Education has become big business, and where there’s money to be made, the fraudsters are surely close behind. One area… Read More »
When Dentists Commit Medicaid Fraud, It’s Not All Smiles
The national Medicaid program is a social healthcare program for families and individuals with low income and limited resources. It is jointly funded by the federal government and the states and is the largest source of funding for health services for low-income Americans. Under the Medicaid program, states are required to provide dental benefits… Read More »
The Ethical Treatment of Animals and Qui Tam Whistleblowers
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) spends more than $1.5 billion annually to fund the National School Lunch Program. The USDA enters into contracts with thousands of vendors to purchase food products ranging from vegetables to fresh meats. The USDA then distributes this food to recipient state agencies, that is, individual states that… Read More »
Whistleblower Beware: You May Need to Act Quickly
You work for a company that is committing a major fraud against the Government. Maybe it’s Medicare fraud, government contracting fraud, or education fraud. Most of the people in your workplace know the fraud is happening, but nobody is doing anything about it because the company is making so much money. You know it’s… Read More »
Seventh Circuit Offers Additional Guidance on the Pre-2010 Public Disclosure Bar
In an opinion by Judge Richard Posner, the Seventh Circuit recently had an opportunity to revisit the pre-2010 version of the public disclosure bar found in 31 U.S.C. § 3730(e)(4). In United States ex rel. Bogina v. Medline Industries, Inc., No. 15-1867 (7th Cir. Jan. 4, 2016), the court considered the dismissal of a… Read More »
Ambulance Fraud in Florida
Ambulance fraud is on the rise in Florida, and taxpayers are paying the bill. In September 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) issued a report titled Inappropriate Payments and Questionable Billing for Medicare Part B Ambulance Transports. In May 2015, the United States Attorney for the Middle… Read More »
Senior Medicare Patrols – Empowering Medicare Beneficiaries
Senior Medicare Patrols (“SMP”) provide free assistance to Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report Medicare fraud. SMP’s are funded with grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Administration for Community Living. There is an SMP office in each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto… Read More »
Supreme Court to Consider Triple Canopy Case at Certiorari Conference This Week
The U.S. Supreme Court will consider Triple Canopy, Inc.’s petition for a writ of certiorari this week for review of the Fourth Circuit’s decision in U.S. ex rel. Badr v. Triple Canopy, Inc. The case that wades into the thorny issue of “implied certifications.” In Triple Canopy, the federal government awarded a fixed price… Read More »
DOJ Takes a Bite Out of the Gators’ Hospital System
The University of Florida in Gainesville (the “University”) has settled with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for claims that the University improperly charged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for unapproved salaries and administrative costs on hundreds of federal grants the University run hospital system received from HHS. HHS considers… Read More »