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September 29, 2014 General

Tennessee’s Meridian Surgical Partners to Pay $5.12 Million to Settle False Claims Act Lawsuit

Brentwood, Tennessee-area surgical center management company Meridian Surgical Partners has agreed to pay a total of $5.12 million to settle allegations of healthcare fraud. Healthcare fraud continues to reign as the top-grossing area of recovery under the False Claims Act, and the Department of Health and Human Services – in […]
September 26, 2014 General

Department of Justice Takes Aim at Physician Investors in Anti-Kickback Crackdown

We recently reported on the government’s decision to intervene in a False Claims Act lawsuit against spinal surgeon Aria Sabit, which involved allegations of medically unnecessary spinal fusion operations in exchange for kickbacks from the Reliance Medical Group. In a simultaneous and related event, the Department of Justice filed its […]
September 25, 2014 General

Eighth Circuit Adds to Rule 9(b) Confusion in Thayer v. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that the federal Courts of Appeal are engaged in a near-even split with regard to the applicability of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 9(b) in the False Claims Act context. In general, a civil plaintiff must set forth general facts in a complaint […]
September 24, 2014 General

Neurosurgeon Facing False Claims Act Liability Following Unnecessary Spinal Implant Procedures

It’s another instance of healthcare fraud involving the federal Medicare and Medicaid systems. A prominent California neurosurgeon, his associates, and their distributorship network – Reliance Medical Systems LLC – are facing significant possible liability under the False Claims Act for engaging in unnecessary procedures in order to pad revenue. The […]
September 23, 2014 General

Massachusetts Attorney General Asks First Circuit to Review Pivotal False Claims Act Ruling

While many aspects of the False Claims Act are firmly settled by consistent holdings by federal district and appellate courts, other areas are more grey – including how much weight should be given to the difference between a condition of payment and a condition of participation. In today’s article, we […]