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...
Aug 13, 2020 | Fraud Investigations, Government Investigations, Health Care, White Collar Crime
On August 7, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced the indictment of a psychiatrist and his office manager for allegedly importing and selling drugs not approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA”). The DOJ alleges that for ten years,...
Aug 6, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, Fraud Investigations, Government Investigations, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On August 4, 2020, the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) updated its FAQs regarding the application of OIG’s administrative enforcement authorities to arrangements directly connected to the ongoing COVID-19...
Jul 30, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, Government Investigations, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into the law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”). The CARES Act includes a Provider Relief Fund (“PRF”) with more than $100 billion to reimburse eligible providers for healthcare-related...
Jul 27, 2020 | Health Care
On July 8, 2020, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced that Hope Hospice agreed to pay $3.2 million to resolve a qui tam whistleblower action under the federal False Claims Act (FCA). The settlement resolved allegations that...
Jul 21, 2020 | Fraud Investigations, Health Care
Since the beginning of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine and telehealth services has skyrocketed. In March, we wrote about the temporary expansion of telehealth services by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Specifically, CMS...