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 […]
Manager of Dental Office Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Medicaid Out of More Than $813,000
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 1, 2021, a former dental office manager was sentenced to 12 months in prison for her role in a Medicaid fraud scheme. Mahsa Azimirad, was the office manager for Universal Smiles, a D.C.-based dental practice, according […]
Dental Office Manager Sentenced to One Year in Prison for Defrauding Medicaid Out of More Than $813,000
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 1, 2021, a former dental office manager was sentenced to 12 months in prison for her role in a Medicaid fraud scheme. Mahsa Azimirad, was the office manager for Universal Smiles, a D.C.-based dental practice, according […]
Florid Man Strikes Again–Government Asks for Life Sentence for Florida Man in $187M Medicare Fraud Case
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law and Hartley Brooks, Law Clerk, The Health Law Firm On August 12, 2023, federal prosecutors recommended a life sentence for the Florida ex-CEO of a laboratory company who had been found guilty of fraudulently billing Medicare over one […]
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. § […]
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 […]
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 […]
Dentists, What Should You Do If You Or Your Staff Tests Positive For COVID-19 at Your Practice?
By Achal A. Aggarwal, M.B.A., J.D., and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law You or a member of your staff has a confirmed case of COVID-19. What now? Your primary concern is for the individual affected. However, as a health professional operating a professional practice, […]
Question: What Should You, as a Dentist, Do If You Or One of Your Employees Tests Positive For the COVID-19 Coronavirus?
By Achal A. Aggarwal, M.B.A., J.D., and George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law You or a member of your staff has a confirmed case of COVID-19. What now? Your primary concern is for the individual affected. However, as a health professional operating a professional practice, […]
HHS Announces Proposed Rules to Reform Stark Law and AKS Regulations
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 9, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued two proposed rules to reform the federal Stark Law (dealing with […]
Florida Doctor Charged for $2.1 Billion Medicare Fraud; Largest Healthcare Fraud Scheme Ever Reported
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 1, 2019, a Florida doctor was implicated in what federal investigators say is one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever charged. According to prosecutors, the doctor allegedly authorized genetic testing for patients he never […]
Florida Doctor Charged in Largest Medicare Fraud Scheme Ever Reported
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 1, 2019, a Florida doctor was implicated in what federal investigators say is one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever charged. According to prosecutors, the doctor allegedly authorized genetic testing for patients he never […]
Genetic Testing Scams Ripping off Government Programs for 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 […]
Dental Clinic Owners Found Guilty of $1 Million Medicaid, Tax Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On February 21, 2019, a federal jury found the owners of several dental clinics in Missouri guilty of a $1 million scheme to defraud the government. The owners of All About Smiles LLC, were convicted of submitting false […]
Miami Man to Remain Jailed for Trial in Nation’s Largest Medicare Fraud Case
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On December 3, 2018, a Florida judge ruled that a Miami businessman who has been jailed for more than two years on $1 billion health care fraud charges, must remain in custody through his trial next year. U.S. […]
Walgreens Agrees to Pay $269 Million to Settle Two FCA Suits
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On January 22, 2019, Walgreens agreed to pay more than $269 million to settle allegations of False Claims Act (FCA) violations for overbilling of various drugs. The deals are some of the largest pay-outs ever by a retail […]
DOJ Announces $2.8 Billion Recovered Funds From Healthcare Cases in 2018
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On December 21, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it recovered more than $2.8 billion from False Claims Act (FCA) (also known as “qui tam” or “whistleblower cases”) cases in 2018. Of the $2.8 billion […]
DOJ Announces $2.8 Billion Recovered From Healthcare FCA Cases in 2018
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On December 21, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it recovered more than $2.8 billion from False Claims Act (FCA) (also known as “qui tam” or “whistleblower cases”) cases in 2018. Of the $2.8 billion […]
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 […]
Ambulance Company in Tennessee Settles A $2 Million Overpayment Lawsuit
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law and Dr. Thu Pham, O.D., Law Clerk, The Health Law Firm Attorney A Tennessee ambulance company and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced a settlement in a case over a post payment audit for […]
Pennsylvania Hospital Agrees to Pay $325,000 to Settle Medicare Overbilling Allegations: Inpatient Codes Used for Outpatient Procedures
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On August 8, 2016, a Pennsylvania hospital accused of overbilling Medicare agreed to settle civil claims with the federal government for $325,000, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Philadelphia announced. The case arose out of allegations that the hospital […]
If You Are a Dentist Facing Legal Challenges, Choose an Attorney Who is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Dentists, nurses, pharmacists, health professionals, and health facilities often face legal challenges from many different sources. These challenges can come from federal and state regulators, medical malpractice trial lawyers, hospitals, clinics and colleagues. If you find yourself faced […]
Responding to a Medicaid Audit: Important Tips You Should Know
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Bureau of Medicaid Program Integrity, is the Florida agency responsible for routine audits of Medicaid health care providers. Each state has a similar state agency, though […]
Florida Government Officer Charged in Billion Dollar Medicare Fraud
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Health Care Administrator Accepts Bribes. An alleged $1 billion health care scheme has lead to the first known prosecution against a Florida Agency for Health Care Administration official. Bertha Blanco faces a wide range of charges including accepting […]
What You Need to Know About Preparing and Responding to an Initial Medicaid Audit Request
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Health care providers in Florida who service Medicaid patients are at a higher risk for audits than anywhere else in the country. The unfortunate truth is that Florida has become synonymous with health care fraud. As a result, […]