In 2018, the Justice Department (DOJ) ordered US Attorneys to aggressively seek dismissal of False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblower qui tam lawsuits that lack merit or don’t serve the government’s … [Read more...]
Kickbacks
LabCorp Faces Trial for Providing In-Office Phlebotomist Services to Doctors Taking Processing and Handling Fees from HDL
June 24, 2021
The Health Diagnostic Laboratory (HDL) and Singulex, Inc. scam in which physicians were paid process and handling fees for referrals of medically unnecessary blood tests remains the biggest and most … [Read more...]
Labs In Court
Michigan Cardiologist Shells Out $2 Million to Settle False Billing Charges
April 2, 2021
Case: The feds claim that over an 11-year period the physician and his metropolitan Detroit area practice and lab sites violated the False Claims Act by billing Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE for … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
Florida Court Upholds Conviction of Physician at Center of Massive Drug Test Scam
April 2, 2021
Case: In February 2019, the physician/medical director of a pair of sober home clinics in clinics was sentenced to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution for his role in a … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends:
New Administration Continues OCR HIPAA Right of Access Initiative
February 22, 2021
Although the Biden administration has signaled its intention to revisit just about every healthcare regulatory initiative of its predecessor, one enforcement undertaking seems to be continuing … [Read more...]
Lab Safety
Statistics Suggest OSHA Has Been Lax in Enforcing Workplace COVID-19 Safety
February 7, 2021
As COVID-19 cases surge, going to work has become a risky proposition, especially for employees of labs, hospitals and other health care facilities. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends: Has OSHA Done Enough to Enforce COVID-19 Workplace Safety Rules?
February 4, 2021
Even after the election and swearing in of the new President, federal government response to the COVID-19 pandemic remains a politically charged issue. One bone of contention involves whether OSHA has … [Read more...]
Labs In Court
Pennsylvania Medical Assistants Confess to Participating in Genetic Test Fraud Scheme
November 9, 2020
Case: Federal and state enforcers are closing in on a Pennsylvania primary care physician who allegedly ripped off Medicare for genetic tests to the tune of $755,241. At the center of the scheme is … [Read more...]
Enforcement Trends
Labs Caught Up in Massive National Telemedicine Takedown
October 29, 2020
So much for the pandemic’s dulling the momentum of federal fraud enforcement. Dubbed “Operation Rubber Stamp,” the new nationwide enforcement action revealed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on … [Read more...]
Labs in Court
OSHA Fines New Jersey Hospital for Coronavirus Respiratory Protection Violations
October 8, 2020
Case: OSHA is proposing to fine the hospital $9,639 for two serious violations: i. Failure to fit test tight-fitting respirators face piece respirators on employees required to use them; and ii. Not … [Read more...]
