The False Claims Act (or Whistleblower Act) and Hospital Fraud
Overview:
A whistleblower or qui tam action can provide financial rewards to individuals who are retaliated against for providing information that a company, hospital or individual has defrauded the government. The primary statutes under which this relief may be sought are the federal and state False Claims Acts ("FCAs"). State and federal governments pay hundreds of billions of dollars each year for pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, hospital care, and nursing home care through Medicare, Medicaid, and other programs. Thus, the False Claims Act is often applied in the health care industry to fight fraud, and specifically fraud committed by hospitals. Whistleblowers who report this fraud receive 15-25% of the amount recovered.
Why should you Attend:
Much confusion lies around the whistleblower laws or claims brought under the False Claims Act. A whistleblower or qui tam action can provide financial rewards to individuals who are retaliated against for providing information that a company or individual has defrauded the government. To the contrary, if the government finds that you have engaged in fraud against the government and you could be potentially be named in a whistleblower suit and be prosecuted civilly and/or criminally.
Because state and federal governments pay hundreds of billions of dollars each year for healthcare, fraud waste and abuse are particularly rampant in hospital settings.
Attend this 60-minute webinar to understand the framework of the False Claims Act (or whistleblower statute), the procedures for filing a False Claims Act case, and the importance in protecting the court's seal. I will also discuss the pros/cons of bringing a case and important information you should bring to the attention of the government and the attorney representing you.
Areas Covered in the Session:
- The elements of a False Claims Act case will be explained.
- Types of False Claims Act cases brought in hospital and healthcare settings.
- Examples of False Claims Act cases that have been successful and have recovered money for the government and rewarded whistleblowers for reporting fraud.
- Tools to be used to spot a potential whistleblower case and documentation needed to report the case.
Who Will Benefit: This webinar will provide valuable assistance to all personnel in: medical offices, practice groups, hospitals, academic medical centers, business associates (shredding, data storage, systems vendors, billing services, etc). The titles are:
- Compliance director
- CEO
- CFO
- Privacy Officer
- Security Officer
- Information Systems Manager
- HIPAA Officer
- Chief Information Officer
- Health Information Manager
- Healthcare Counsel/lawyer
- Office Manager
- Contracts Manager
- Physicians
- Nurses
- Medical Staff
Speaker Profile
Ms. Itri also has experience representing shareholders in securities class action cases that have recovered millions of dollars in settlements. Ms. Itri received a B.A. and an M.A. from Stanford University, where she captioned the University's Women's soccer team and received her J.D. from Villanova University. Shauna is presently an adjunct professor at Widener Law School and Villanova University, teaching corporate deviance courses. Ms. Itri was named a "Pennsylvania Super Lawyer Rising Star" in 2010-2013 by Philadelphia Magazine after an extensive nomination and polling process among Pennsylvania lawyers. She was placed on Philadelphia's First Judicial District's 2010 and 2011 Roll of Honor for Pro Bono Service for her service in the community.
Shauna currently serves as co-chair of Stanford University Alumni Undergraduate Admissions Volunteer Interview Program and as the Chief Operating Officer and Board Member of the Junior League of Philadelphia, Inc. an organization of approximately 800 women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.