Nurse Practitioner Pleads Guilty to Fraud, Controlled Substance Act Violations

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A Pennsylvania nurse practitioner who specialized in psychiatric and mental health will have to pay $450,000 in restitution and turn in her Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner’s license after pleading guilty to prescribing medications without a collaborating doctor and false billing. The investigation found that Stefanie King of Ulster, PA pleaded guilty to one felony count…

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The Federal Government Nets $2.2B in Settlements and Judgements Under the False Claims Act, Including $1.7B in Healthcare-Related Fraud

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Settlements and judgements under the False Claims Act (FCA) surpassed $2.2 billion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022. Of that, $1.7 billion related to matters involving the healthcare industry, including drug and medical device manufacturers, durable medical equipment, home health and managed care providers, hospitals, pharmacies, hospice organizations, and physicians. The government and…

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Florida Cardiology Group and Physicians Settle False Claims Act Litigation for $2 Million

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A Florida cardiology practice that operates in Central Florida and ten of its physicians agreed to pay $2 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by submitting inflated claims to Medicare and Medicaid and for billing while the physicians were outside the United States. The settlement grew out of a…

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Former Senior Living CEO Indicted on ALF and Skilled Nursing Facility Fraud

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The former CEO of a New Jersey-based company that owned and operated 24 skilled nursing facilities and nine assisted living facilities in Wisconsin and Michigan recently was indicted on charges of healthcare fraud, six counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit tax fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The…

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida Nets $168M in Battling Fraud in FY 2022

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office Middle District of Florida collected $168,330,189 related to criminal and civil matters in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2022. Of that, $103,089,821 represents total collections in criminal and civil actions. The office further breaks it down stating that $43,048,067 was recovered in locally handled cases — $17,769,638 in criminal and…

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Genetic Testing Kickback Scheme Settled

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Jacksonville, Fla.-based Ocenture LLC and its subsidiary, Carelumina LLC, agreed to pay $3 million to settle allegations that they paid and received kickbacks in connection with genetic testing samples. It was alleged that Ocenture solicited genetic testing samples from Medicare beneficiaries directly and through other marketers. The company then paid physicians to falsely attest that…

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Marketer Charged in $64M Kickback Scheme

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A north Florida man recently was charged for his part in a $64 million scheme to pay illegal kickbacks involving pharmacies, telemedicine companies and doctors. According to the complaint, James D. Feeley of Navarre, Fla. and his partner Mark Belter of Ohio operated a purported marketing company for pharmacies that generated signed prescriptions that its…

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