This post is a courtesy of Fox Rothschild attorneys Matthew D. Lee, Esq. and Marissa Koblitz Kingman, Esq., and was first published as an alert on Fox’s website.
The U.S. Justice Department’s COVID-related health care fraud crackdown continues to intensify. On a single day in September 2021, the Justice Department announced criminal charges against 138 defendants in 31 federal districts throughout the United States, alleging about $1.4 billion in losses. Among those charged are 42 doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals.
For businesses that took advantage of the $2.2 trillion in federal pandemic aid programs, this latest enforcement action demonstrates that an audit or investigation may be inevitable. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that compliance protocols are in place to avoid criminal consequences.
The CARES Act
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, enacted in March 2020, provided emergency financial assistance in the form of forgivable loans to businesses to cover payroll and other specified expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). It also included the Provider Relief Fund, which provided needed medical care to Americans suffering from COVID-19.
From the outset, the government vowed to ensure that it would take measures to prevent recipients from fraudulently taking advantage of the CARES Act programs.
Focus on Fraud in Health Care Sector
The Justice Department has been focused on COVID-19 health care related fraud since the pandemic’s inception. As Assistant Director Calvin Shivers of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division recently stated, “health care fraud targets the vulnerable in our communities, our health care system, and our basic expectation of competent, available care. Despite a continued pandemic, the FBI and our law enforcement partners remain dedicated to safeguarding American taxpayers and businesses from the steep cost of health care fraud.”
A coalition of federal and state law enforcement agencies are working together to investigate and prosecute alleged COVID-19 related fraud. The agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, the Health Care Fraud and Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country.
Recent COVID-Related Criminal Charges
Recent criminal charges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic include a variety of allegations related to false billings. The defendants are alleged to have misused patient information to submit claims to Medicare for unrelated, medically unnecessary, and expensive laboratory tests, including cancer genetic testing.
Individual defendants are also alleged to have misused Provider Relief Fund monies for their own personal expenses, including for gambling at a Las Vegas casino and payments to a luxury car dealership.
Other recent charges include individuals accused of telemedicine fraud. In 11 judicial districts, charges have been filed against 43 defendants who allegedly paid doctors and nurse practitioners to order unnecessary durable medical equipment, genetic and other diagnostic testing, and pain medications, either without any patient interaction or with only a brief telephonic conversation with patients they had never met or seen.
Durable medical equipment companies, genetic testing laboratories and pharmacies then purchased those orders in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes. Prosecutors allege they also submitted more than $1.1 billion in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and other government insurers. The claims included sham telehealth consultations that did not occur. The proceeds of the scheme were allegedly spent on luxury items, including vehicles, yachts, and real estate.
Criminal charges also included allegations that the defendants made false and fraudulent claims for tests and treatments for patients seeking treatment for drug and/or alcohol addiction through a national sober homes initiative program. Other medical professionals have been charged with over-proscribing millions of doses of opioids and other prescription narcotics and submitting false billings.
What to Expect Next
The federal government will soon make available an additional $25.5 billion for health care providers affected by the pandemic, including $8.5 billion allocated to the American Rescue Plan for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program or Medicare patients, and $17 billion to the Provider Relief Fund.
The federal government’s estimate of $1.4 billion in alleged fraud losses to date underscores why its enforcement efforts are rapidly intensifying. Health care professionals and business owners should proceed with caution when taking advantage of the latest round of aid funding.
The recent spate of charges shows that even health care fraud unrelated to the pandemic is a top priority for federal investigators. Any health care business owner who is concerned about compliance with the CARES Act or is concerned about potential fraud exposure should consult counsel and not wait to be contacted by law enforcement. Those who have already received a subpoena or inquiry from any law enforcement agency should immediately consult with counsel who can assess the full potential for civil and criminal exposure prior to responding.
If you have any questions regarding your practice’s compliance with federal fraud and abuse laws, please contact Matthew D. Lee, Esq. or Marissa Koblitz Kingman, Esq.