Court Assesses $170 Million in Fines Against Two Texas Ophthalmologists For False Claims
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On November 18, 2021, the Justice Department announced that two Texas ophthalmologists and their eye clinic must pay millions of dollars in penalties for fraudulently billing Medicare. The penalties were assessed in connection with their evaluation and treatment […]
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, […]
Prosecutors Push to Keep Florida TeleMedicine Suspect in Jail for $424 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 March 19, 2020, federal prosecutors in New Jersey federal court pushed to keep a suspect involved in a $424 million telemedicine scheme in jail. Authorities called him an “unrepentant conman” who carried out one of the largest […]
Florida Prosecutors Want Telehealth Suspect to Remain in Jail For $424 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 March 19, 2020, federal prosecutors in New Jersey federal court pushed to keep a suspect involved in a $424 million telemedicine scheme in jail. Authorities called him an “unrepentant conman” who carried out one of the largest […]
Prosecutors Push To Keep Florida Telehealth Fraud Suspect in Jail for $424 Million Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On March 19, 2020, federal prosecutors in New Jersey federal court pushed to keep a suspect involved in a $424 million telemedicine scheme in jail. Authorities called him an “unrepentant conman” who carried out one of the largest […]
Telemedicine Company Owners Charged in $56 Million Kickback Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On February 5, 2020, the owners of two telemedicine companies were charged in New Jersey federal court with defrauding Medicare in an alleged $56 million telehealth scheme involving orthotic braces. Some of the fraud alleged to have occurred […]
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 […]
Beware of These Illegal Business Arrangements in Healthcare
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Florida does not have a corporate practice of medicine prohibition like many other states do. In other words, a physician is allowed to work as an employee or independent contractor of a corporation or other business entity owned […]
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 […]
Jury Convicts Doctor and Medical Billing Company Owner for $28 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On May 1, 2017, a federal jury in Michigan found a Detroit-area doctor and owner of a medical billing company guilty of perpetrating a $28 million health care fraud scheme. The scheme involved billing Medicare for pain treatments […]
New DOJ Memo Shifting Government Policy in False Claims Act Cases Should make Healthcare Providers Happy!
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On January 29, 2018, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a new internal memorandum that we believe signals a backing-off of government support for False Claims Act cases. The memorandum sent by Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand, […]
Florida Federal Judge Triples Award to $347 Million in Rare Whistleblower Case
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On March 1, 2017, a Florida federal judge tripled a $115 million damages award for the government to $347 million after a jury found that the operators of 53 nursing facilities submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid. […]
Qui Tam Cases: If You Are Thinking About Blowing the Whistle, Follow These Tips
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law At The Health Law Firm, we have represented many clients that were involved in qui tam cases brought because of false claims under the Medicare False Claims Act (FCA). We have defended health facilities and health professionals, but […]
Kmart Agrees to Pay $32.3 million to Settle Whistle Blower’s False Claims Act Suit
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On December 22, 2017, Kmart Corporation agreed to pay $32.3 million to settle a whistle blower lawsuit alleging its pharmacies caused federal health programs to overpay for prescription drugs by not telling the government about discounted prices. The […]
Massachusetts Mental Health Centers Submitted False Claims According to Suit
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On January 5, 2018, the state of Massachusetts lodged a False Claims Act (FCA) suit in federal court against the operators of a number of mental health centers. In the suit, it is alleged that they improperly billed […]
Florida Woman Lands Herself 6.5 Years in Prison, Owes $45 Million for Medicare Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On November 22, 2017, a Florida woman who was accused of a $45 million Medicare fraud, received a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence, following a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court decision in her case holding that the government could not freeze […]
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 […]
Florida Substance Abuse Center Owner Gets 27 Years for Multi-Million Dollar Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On May 17, 2017, a Florida man who pled guilty to running a health care fraud scheme out of substance abuse treatment facilities he owned was sentenced to 27 years in prison. U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks, […]
Jury Finds Four New Orleans Doctors and Others Guilty for Participation in $13.6 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On May 9, 2017, a federal jury found four New Orleans doctors and two others guilty for their participation in a Medicare fraud scheme. According to prosecutors the defendants netted more than $13.6 million in fraudulent Medicare reimbursements. […]