False Claims Act 2017 Report Card: $2.4 Billion Recovered
Health Care Compliance Association
March 2018
On December 21, 2017, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued its yearly report card describing its most noteworthy settlements in fiscal year 2017 with healthcare providers under the False Claims Act (FCA).1 In addition to praising the efforts of its dedicated enforcement staff, the DOJ sent a message of both acknowledgment and encouragement to the whistleblowers who bring alleged FCA violations to its attention. It makes good sense for the DOJ to use this annual report card as a form of encouragement for those among us who believe in reporting blatant wrongdoing. Unfortunately, this message is sometimes received by bounty hunters, sometimes entirely motivated by retribution or greed, who are tempted to see wrong when there is no wrong. Nevertheless, there is plenty to learn from these significant settlements, and it never gets old reading about those in positions of power who abuse the public’s trust and do the indefensible out of greed. Indeed, the cases that were featured were stunningly egregious and involved sophisticated healthcare companies.
Read the full article here.
Reproduced with permission from the March 2018 issue of Compliance Today. Copyright © 2018, Health Care Compliance Association.
1. Department of Justice, Justice News, press release: “Justice Department Recovers Over $3.7 Billion From False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2017” December 21, 2017. Available at http://bit.ly/2mcgqX2