Nov 2, 2020 | Fraud Investigations, Government Investigations, Health Care
Over the last few years, state and federal law enforcement agencies have brought a number of criminal and civil actions to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the opioid crisis. The latest milestone in the pursuit of accountability is a DOJ settlement with...
Oct 27, 2020 | Government Investigations, Health Care, White Collar Crime
Earlier this year, a jury found Sylvia Hofstetter guilty of a Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (“RICO”) conspiracy, two counts of drug conspiracy, money laundering, and maintaining a drug-involved premise for her role in operating pill mills in Florida and...
Oct 20, 2020 | Government Investigations, Health Care, White Collar Crime
The False Claims Act has long been considered one of the Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) most powerful tools for preventing wrongdoing in the healthcare industry. However, the DOJ’s Antitrust Division has been actively investigating anti-competitive behavior in the...
Aug 31, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On August 25, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a press release regarding the strengthening of COVID-19 surveillance and the publication of interim final rule CMS-30401-IFC. Although the press release mainly addresses nursing home...
Aug 31, 2020 | False Claims Act, Fraud Investigations, Government Investigations, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid, White Collar Crime
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), at its core, prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving any remuneration in exchange for federal healthcare program referrals. AKS violations carry potential criminal penalties, as well as civil and administrative...
Aug 21, 2020 | Administrative Law, COVID-19 Related Law, Government Investigations, Health Care
On August 19, 2020, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar issued a third amendment to HHS’ Declaration Under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for Medical Countermeasures Against COVID-19 (Directive). The...