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Nurse Whistleblowers Nurses are often the best whistleblowers. A recent investigation sponsored by AFL-CIO, National Nurses United, and Coalition for a Humane Hopkins has brought to light medical debt lawsuits at one of the largest hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland. The investigation found that even though Johns Hopkins Hospital received public funding to provide charity care

A Houston hospital was accused of upcoding, a fraudulent practice that harms patient confidence and inflates costs. In a recent case that underscores the importance of accurate medical billing practices, Memorial Herman Health System (MHHS) in Texas has agreed to pay $6.4 million for allegedly violating the Civil Monetary Penalties Law. The Office of Inspector

Over the previous months, the United States has intervened in multiple whistleblower cases involving unnecessary medical testing conducted by clinical laboratories and health care providers in several states. These cases demonstrate not only the increased scrutiny with which the DOJ has approached medical testing fraud under the False Claims Act (FCA) but also the vital

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released its 2021 False Claims Act (FCA) statistics. A near-record year, the DOJ reported over $5.6 billion recovered in FCA settlements and judgments.

The DOJ’s year-end review presents an excellent opportunity to look back to some of 2021’s most notable FCA cases brought by whistleblowers.

The DOJ recently reported that it obtained more than $5.6 billion in FCA settlements and judgments last year, the second most ever in a year. Over $1.6 billion of this amount stemmed from lawsuits filed by whistleblowers. In total, whistleblowers filed 598 qui tam suits in 2021, and the government paid out over $237 million to whistleblowers.

Private equity firms are facing increasing scrutiny under the False Claims Act (FCA). Recently, the Massachusetts Attorney General announced the largest reported healthcare fraud settlement against a private equity firm, amounting to $25 million. The case was brought under the qui tam provisions of Massachusetts’s FCA. Earlier this year, the DOJ reported a $15.3 million

Recent trends in False Claims Act litigation show high rates of settlement, increases in damage awards, and a high prevalence of health care defendants. At Price Armstrong, we think these trends indicate a future push to hold health care fraudsters accountable through whistleblower False Claims actions.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently awarded its first-ever whistleblower award to a former Hyundai safety engineer who brought allegations of faulty engine designs against Hyundai and Kia. Kim Gwang-ho, the whistleblower, received $24.3 million for reporting the defective engines.

The False Claims Amendment Act of 1986 recently celebrated its 35th anniversary. This monumental law helped revitalized the Civil War-era False Claims Act to help better prevent fraud through the use of private whistleblowers.

The DOJ’s recently announced Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative seeks to revitalize the False Claims Act and empower whistleblowers to eliminate new and emerging forms of cyber-fraud.