Some of the most significant whistleblower rewards involve pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, or hospitals paying referral fees to buy or use their products, or services
(PRWEB) October 15, 2013
According to the Corporate Whistleblower Center, “Some of the most significant whistleblower rewards involve pharmaceutical companies, medical device companies, or hospitals paying referral fees. These illegal practices often create an enormous opportunity for a whistleblower, and we are encouraging healthcare industry insiders to call us at 866-714-6466 if they have well documented proof of this type of wrongdoing.”
Hospitals are often a conduit for Medicare fraud and overbilling because the amount of money they make is dependent on the number of patients they have. In some cases, hospital administrators entice medical doctors to bring their business to the hospital with referral fees or kickbacks. These types of kickbacks are in violation of the Anti-Kickback Act and Start Statute as well as the False Claims Act, which is designed to recover fraud against federal healthcare programs.
A recent example of this type of fraud was reported in a May 3, 2013 press release from the Department of Justice. According to the release, Adventist Health agreed to pay $14.1 million to settle claims it allegedly provided kickbacks to referring physicians by transferring both medical and non-medical assets at lower than market values. The suit also alleged that Advent paid physicians excessive amounts to provide teaching services. In this case the whistleblowers will receive $2,839,219 as a reward. http://CorporateWhistleBlowerCenter.Com
Potential whistleblowers with proof of wrongdoing in excess of $1 million are encouraged to call the Corporate Whistleblower Center anytime at 866-714-6466 for more information about federal whistleblower reward programs.
Simple rules for a whistleblower from the Corporate Whistle Blower Center:
- Do not go to the government first if you are a major whistleblower. The Corporate Whistle Blower Center says, “Major whistleblowers frequently go to the federal government thinking they will help. It’s a huge mistake.”
- Do not go to the news media with your whistleblower information. Public revelation of a whistleblower’s information could destroy any prospect for a reward.
- Do not try to force a government contractor or corporation to come clean to the government about their wrongdoing. The Corporate Whistle Blower Center says, “Fraud is so rampant among federal contractors that any suggestion of exposure might result in an instant job termination, or harassment of the whistleblower. Come to us first, tell us what type of information you have, and if we think it’s sufficient, we will help find the right law firms to assist in advancing your information.”
The Corporate Whistleblower Center emphasizes that there are high quality cases and opportunities available to whistleblowers in every state. Any type of insider, or employee, who possesses significant proof of their employer or a government contractor defrauding the federal government is encouraged to contact to Corporate Whistleblower Center anytime at 866-714-6466, or they can contact the group via their web site at http://CorporateWhistleBlowerCenter.Com
Case number: The lawsuit is captioned U.S. ex rel. Hector Luque et al. v. Adventist Health et al. No. 2 08CV1271 (E.D. Cal.).
For attribution purposes please refer to the USDOJ press release on this matter dated May 3rd, 2013:http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/May/13-civ-507.html
