Rise of Telehealth Fraud in the Healthcare Industry

In July 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced criminal charges against 36 defendants for committing a variety of alleged schemes to defraud Medicare using telehealth. According to the DOJ, the alleged actions of the defendants led to $1.2 billion in medical fraud, with much of that coming from fraudulent telehealth claims for cardiovascular and …

Top Three Healthcare Fraud and False Claims Recoveries of 2021

Fraud in the healthcare sector continues to be a major concern in the United States. According to the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Annual Report, healthcare fraud was by far the leading source of the False Claims Act settlements and judgments in 2021. In fact, more than $5 billion of the $5.6 billion …

Pharmaceutical Fraud: Reporting Illegal Kickbacks

Pharmaceutical fraud exists in many ways. However, one of the most common tactics used in the industry is illegal kickbacks. Kickbacks are anything of value either directly or indirectly offered to a patient or physician that influences their medical decision to use a certain company or product. This action constitutes fraud because it undermines the …

Blowing the Whistle on Healthcare Fraud: What You Need to Know

Healthcare fraud is a costly crime that affects both individuals and businesses alike. Unfortunately, scams like upcoding, double billing, and kickbacks are significant in the industry, costing the nation billions of dollars each year. It can increase taxes, expose people to unnecessary medical procedures and raise insurance premiums. The best way to fight fraud is …

Three FCPA Enforcement Trends We Saw in 2021

The Foreign Corrupt Practice Act, or FCPA, prohibits bribery of foreign officials and physicians to enhance business deals and ensures books and records are properly maintained for full transparency of expenses. The FCPA has an extensive reach that applies to prohibited conduct anywhere in the world. Following a record-setting 2020, the year 2021 saw a …

Exposing Healthcare Fraud: University Pays $22M in Medicare Fraud Case Following Whistleblower Report

Billions of dollars are wasted every year due to scams and corruption involving Medicare fraud. In fact, $5 billion of the $5.6 billion total False Claims Act settlements and judgments of 2021 were related primarily to Medicare and Medicaid fraud. When an individual or organization commits Medicare fraud, they take significant resources away from necessary …

The Largest SEC Fraud Settlements to Date

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was enacted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to serve a few key anti-bribery and accounting purposes. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforces the law as it applies to market manipulation. In doing so, the SEC protects consumers when individuals …

Seven of the Most Common Fraud Tactics in the Pharma Industry

Pharmaceutical fraud exists in many ways. Generally speaking, pharma fraud involves a party (or parties) within the pharmaceutical industry who illegally submit false claims to achieve financial gain from unnecessary services or programs. When individuals or organizations commit these crimes, they often force taxpayers to bear the burden of their wrongdoing Spotting fraud can be …

Speak Out: How You Can Play a Role in Eliminating Pharmaceutical Fraud

As much as we try to protect consumers, unfortunately, pharmaceutical fraud continues to affect millions of individuals every year. Pharma companies, doctors, and drug representatives can misuse their positions. Areas of concern include illegal kickbacks, off-labeling, and even fraudulent genetic testing intended to scam seniors into agreeing to unnecessary medical procedures. The players in these …

The Dark Side of the Pharmaceutical Industry: A Look at Some of the Biggest Fraud Settlements to Date

While the pharmaceutical industry creates and administers life-changing medications that can keep us healthy, most of us may never see the dark side of the industry. A side that can impact our lives and the lives of our loved ones profoundly. Many of us blindly trust our medical professionals to be caring, ethical beings that …