A Florida businessman has agreed to pay more than $27 million to resolve allegations he and his companies violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting false claims to and receiving payments from, Medicare for cancer genomic (CGx) tests that were not medically necessary and were obtained through illegal kickbacks. Daniel Hurt of Fort Lauderdale owned and/or operated Fountain Health Services...
The federal government in 2020 and 2023 changed who it said could safely donate organs and blood, reducing the restrictions on men who have had sex with another man. But the FDA’s restrictions on donated tissue, a catchall term encompassing everything from a person’s eyes to their skin and ligaments, remain in place. Advocates, lawmakers, and groups focused on removing barriers to cornea...
Last month, the Federal Trade Commission voted to ban non-compete agreements for workers in for-profit companies. The move upends non-compete laws across the country and has healthcare workers, as well as those who employ them, wondering about its implications. Non-competes are common in physician and mid-level practitioner employment agreements. Since the FTC non-compete ban was announced,...
If you seek to receive reimbursement by insurance payors in Florida, either through federal programs (Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare), or commercial insurance (including Personal Injury Protection and Bodily Injury), you will either need a Health Care Clinic License or qualify as exempt under one of the exemptions. The process of getting a Health Care Clinic License is tedious but not...
A Missouri laboratory and its three owners have been ordered to pay more than $13.6 million to settle charges they violated the False Claims Act – the federal government’s primary tool for civil enforcement. Jerry, Jerrod and Joel W. Murphy, owners of Gamma Healthcare Inc., were accused of submitting false claims to Medicare for lab tests that were not ordered by healthcare providers and were...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), has produced literature regarding their intention to prosecute private equity firms who do not conduct proper due diligence in healthcare deals. At this time, a few private equity firms have been charged in civil litigation cases for healthcare fraud related civil allegations. However, the OIG has stated that...
