Anti-Kickback and Stark

Veloxis Pays $46M to Settle Kickback Allegations -- Just the Latest Whistleblower-Originated Kickback Settlement Under the False Claims Act

By the Constantine LLP Whistleblower Team On August 10, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that North Carolina-based drug maker Veloxis Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay roughly $46 million to settle criminal and civil allegations it violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by paying kickbacks to induce prescriptions and purchases of its kidney transplant drug Envarsus.[1]  As U.S. Attorney...

And Yet Another Whistleblower-Originated False Claims Act Kickback Settlement

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Thursday (July 30), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Houston-based Access DX Laboratory -- and its former CEO Michael Stewart along with Florida businessman Harold Shatz -- agreed to collectively pay $36.4 million to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by paying kickbacks and billing Medicare/Medicaid for...

NeoGenomics Pays $9.8M to Resolve Potential False Claims Act Violations Related to Alleged Lab Testing Kickbacks

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On July 20, Florida-based NeoGenomics Laboratories Inc. (NeoGenomics) agreed to pay $9,813,260 to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by offering two types of illegal kickbacks. According to the press release announcing the settlement, NeoGenomics offered below-market consulting services to healthcare providers in exchange for patient referrals and also...

DOJ Settles Another Whistleblower-Originated False Claims Act Kickback Case

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Wednesday (June 17), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Arkansas-based Advanced Pathology Solutions (APS) -- and its owners Kevin Hannah, Donell Burkett, and Daniel Hunter Pledger -- agreed to pay $30 million to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by paying kickbacks to gastroenterology practices for pathology...

Boston Heart Executives, Marketers, and Physician to Pay $2M+ to Settle Illegal Kickback Allegations

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team  On June 1, the government announced that former Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation CEO Susan Hertzberg and VP of Sales Matthew Theiler agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that they paid doctors illegal kickbacks for lab referrals in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. One doctor — Frederick Brown — and six marketers agreed to...

Takeda Pays $13.7M to Settle False Claims Act Violations of Paying Kickbacks to Physicians

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Thursday (May 14), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals agreed to pay roughly $13.7 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by paying kickbacks to healthcare providers to induce prescriptions of Takeda’s Trintellix antidepressant medication.[1]

What Type of Kickbacks Did...

PET Scan Provider to Pay $8.3M to Resolve Allegations of Kickbacks and False Claims Act Violations

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team California-based medical scan provider, Modern Nuclear Inc. (MNI), agreed to pay $8,334,350, and additional money based on future revenue, to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by paying referring cardiologists hefty fees to supervise positron emission tomography (PET) scans, in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.[1]

What Did the Alleged...

Owner of Telemedicine and DME Companies Pleads Guilty for Role in $46.2 Million Fraud Scheme

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On March 27, Christopher Harwood, the owner of telemedicine company TelevisitMD and a number of durable medical equipment (DME) supply companies, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud for his role in a $46.2 million scheme.[1]

Harwood’s Businesses

Harwood was the owner and operator of TelevisitMD, a telemedicine company.[2]...

Mississippi Resident to Pay $31M for Alleged Involvement in Healthcare Kickback Scheme

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On March 19, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced that the government secured a civil judgment against Mississippi resident Robert L. Crites for allegedly orchestrating a commission-based referral scheme in violation of the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute. The scheme targeted federal healthcare programs.[1] A federal judge entered...

Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates Pays $4.75M to Settle Allegations of Kickbacks and Unnecessary Medical Testing Services

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team To resolve allegations of kickbacks and medically unnecessary services, Georgia-based Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates agreed to pay a False Claims Act settlement of $4.75 million.[1]

The Alleged Scheme: Unnecessary Medical Testing and Lab Services Kickbacks

According to the United States, starting around May 2017, Atlanta Gastroenterology Associates contracted...