Jul 2, 2020 | False Claims Act, Fraud Investigations, Government Investigations, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On July 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced two separate settlements with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (“Novartis”), totaling more than $729 million, involving allegations that Novartis paid kickbacks to doctors and patients. In the first...
Mar 31, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On March 30, 2020, as part of the federal government’s continuing efforts to lessen the regulatory burden on healthcare providers during the pendency of the COVID-19 crisis, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued blanket waivers of certain...
Mar 27, 2020 | COVID-19 Related Law, General, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
On March 23, HHS-OIG became the latest federal agency to issue an alert warning of COVID-19 related scams. Specifically, HHS-OIG stated that “[s]cammers are offering COVID-19 tests to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for personal details, including Medicare...
Feb 21, 2020 | Medicare and Medicaid
On February 11, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its findings of a recent audit into Medicare Part D eligibility verification transactions (E1 transactions). Because E1 transactions contain beneficiary...
Jul 30, 2018 | Medicare and Medicaid
On July 27, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) published a proposed rule containing numerous potential changes to the Medicare physician fee schedule and other Medicare policies. See 83 Fed. Reg. 35704 (July 27, 2018). The proposed rule is...
May 30, 2018 | Medicare and Medicaid
Earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it was forming an inter-agency group to review potential changes to the federal Stark (or physician self-referral) law. The Stark law generally prohibits a physician from referring...
