On May 31, 2017, the U. S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that eClinicalWorks (ECW) agreed to pay a $155 million settlement and enter a corporate integrity agreement with the OIG to resolve allegations that ECW caused its health care provider customers to submit false Medicare and Medicaid claims for meaningful use payments in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). Under the corporate integrity agreement, ECW agreed to strict compliance and reporting obligations and to provide the latest version of ECW’s EHR software to each of ECW’s current customers free of charge. Continue reading
Category Archives: Federal Anti-Kickback Statute
Anesthesia Group Settles Kickback Allegations to Obtain Exclusive Agreements With Ambulatory Surgery Centers
On August 5, 2016, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia announced a civil settlement in which Sweet Dreams Anesthesia, a partnership of certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), paid over $1,015,000 to resolve allegations that Sweet Dreams paid kickbacks to ambulatory surgery centers to induce Medicare and Medicaid patients by providing free anesthesia drugs and through other financial transactions. Continue reading
Recent False Claims Act Settlements Based on Hospital-Physician Compensation Arrangements
During the fall of 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued several press releases announcing large False Claims Act settlements based on alleged Stark Law violations related to hospital-physician compensation arrangements. The following are three recent False Claims Act settlements involving allegations related to excessive and improper compensation arrangements between hospitals and physicians: Continue reading
Thinking Outside the Country: Recruiting Foreign Physicians
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In recruiting doctors, hospitals must navigate several minefields which include Stark law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. Yet, a rarely considered issue when recruiting physicians is whether immigration laws have been violated. Generally, non-resident aliens who have completed a residency or fellowship training program in the United States must return to their home country for two years before they can work in the United States. Continue reading
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