On January 21, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $3 million settlement with Patient Services, Inc. (PSI) to resolve allegations of False Claims Act (FCA) violations. The DOJ alleged that PSI enabled three pharmaceutical companies to pay kickbacks to patients by funneling money to patients taking drugs manufactured by those same pharmaceutical companies. In addition to the $3 million, PSI has entered into a three-year integrity agreement with Health and Human Services’s Office of the Inspector General. The settlement involved no determination of liability.
Continue Reading DOJ Reaches Settlement with Patient Assistance Foundation Resolving Allegations of FCA Violations

On December 11, 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (DOJ) announced that it had entered into a $12.5 million dollar settlement with Pennsylvania-based health system Coordinated Health Holding Company, LLC and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), to resolve allegations of improper billing for orthopedic procedures. Under the terms of the settlement, the CEO (who is also the founder and principal owner of the for-profit system) agreed to pay $1.25 million dollars personally, and the health system entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with DOJ requiring regular monitoring of its billing practices.
Continue Reading DOJ Enters Into $12.5 Million Settlement with For-Profit Health System and its CEO in Connection with Improper Unbundled Billing

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced two significant False Claims Act (FCA) settlements in recent days that signal continued close government scrutiny of billing, coding and referral practices at hospitals.

On August 2, DOJ announced an $84.5 million dollar settlement with Michigan-based health system William Beaumont Hospital. The settlement resolves allegations of non-compliance with the

Electronic health record (EHR) vendor eClinicalWorks (eCW) recently entered into a settlement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) to resolve allegations under the federal False Claims Act (FCA) that eCW misrepresented its software and paid customers kickbacks to promote its products. The settlement imposes joint and several liability for payment on the EHR Vendor and three of its founders for $154.92 million, and liability for settlement payments individually by a developer ($50,000) and two project managers ($15,000 each).  The settlement resolves a qui tam whistleblower action and the government’s complaint-in-intervention in United States ex rel. Delaney v. eClinicalWorks LLC, 2:15-CV-00095 (D. Vt.).  
Continue Reading EHR Vendor Settles False Claims Act Suit for $155 Million