March 26, 2015 — The False Claims Act empowers health care insiders to file a whistleblower lawsuit on the government’s behalf. Courageous whistleblowers help to protect the integrity of our federal healthcare programs, like Medicare or Medicaid, for those who need them. Under the Act, the United States may choose to intervene in the lawsuit and take primary control for litigating it. The statute provides for the government’s recovery of three times the actual damages plus civil penalties. For their willingness to notify the government, tipsters — also referred to as “relators” — are rewarded with a portion of the government’s recovery.
New York Doctor Admits to Participation in Scheme to File More than $14.2 Million in False Claims with Medicare
A New York physician will pay more than $5 million in restitution to Medicare as part of his plea agreement in a $14.2 million Medicare fraud scheme. As part of the plea deal, Dr. Roman Johnson reportedly admitted that he and other medical providers at a clinic in Buffalo, New York billed the federal healthcare program for physical therapy, occupational therapy and vitamin infusions that were ineligible for Medicare reimbursement. In total, Johnson received $5,386,363 from Medicare as a result of the scam. He will now be required to return that entire amount to Medicare.
This case was brought by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, which was created in March 2007 and now operates in nine cities. As part of that program, the government has charged almost 2100 healthcare providers who collectively have submitted false claims to Medicare amounting to more than $6.5 billion.
Contact Us to File a False Claims Act Lawsuit Targeting Abuse by Medical Providers
While Waters & Kraus is not handling this particular False Claims Act case, we are representing whistleblowers in similar lawsuits. If you have comparable claims against a different medical provider, contact us by email or call our qui tam attorneys at 800.226.9880 to learn more about our practice and how we can work together to notify the government about fraudulent abuses of government-funded programs. Michael Armitage and Louisa Kirakosian, two of the firm’s qui tam attorneys in the Southern California office, protect tipsters throughout the whistleblower lawsuit process.
