$520,000 False Claims Act settlement is second this week.
The state of Georgia is cracking down on Medicare and Medicaid fraud.
If there’s any doubt on that score, just look at the two False Claims Act settlements that came out this week – a $20 million settlement with the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon, and a $520,000 settlement with Irwin County Hospital in Ocilla.
Mike Bothwell of the Bothwell Law Group in Atlanta, who helped settle the second case in less than 20 months, notes that heath care fraud cases can be complex, but that the law provides real rewards for whistleblowers who step up with insider information that leads to recoveries and an end to fraud schemes.
In his Irwin County Hospital case, won with the help of co‐counsel Brandon Hornsby at the Hornsby Law Group in Atlanta, the whistleblowers walked away with a $130,000 award for helping stop the fraud, and as compensation for the retaliation that followed.
Federal and State False Claims Acts allow private citizens with insider knowledge of fraud, waste, and abuse to bring an action on behalf of the governments in order to stop the fraud. If the case is won, the government can recover over three times the amount defrauded, and successful whistleblowers can receive between 15 and 30 percent of the governments’ recovery.
“It’s all about incentivizing integrity,” says Bothwell. “Chiselers are always incentivized to cheat. The False Claims Act sets things right by providing a countervailing incentive to do the right thing.”
There’s no question the False Claims Act works. Last year, the U.S. government and the states recovered well over $6 billion thanks to whistleblower‐initiated cases.
Bothwell notes that a lot of False Claims Act cases involve health care – a situation likely to continue as the Affordable Care Act kicks in.
The Macon hospital settlement involved allegation of upcoding for more expensive inpatient services when the billing should have been for less costly outpatient or observation services.
In the Irwin County Hospital case, the allegations involved kickbacks for patient referrals and for billing for improperly performed imaging services.
Bothwell notes that it looks like a real fraud‐fighting partnership is forming between Georgia Attorney General Sam Olen’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the U.S. Department of Justice, and Georgia whistleblowers and their attorneys.
“We’re seeing a real public/private partnership that is bringing a real dividend for the American people. That’s exactly how the law is supposed to work.” Mike Bothwell, Whistleblower Attorney
________________________________
About the Bothwell Law Group:
Since 1996, the Bothwell Law Group has earned a national reputation for successful representation of whistleblowers in federal and state courts across the United States, and is one of only a handful of firms exclusively representing whistleblowers. Bothwell Law Group’s cases have resulted in the recovery of more than $400 million for the United States treasury and in the payment of millions of dollars in whistleblower rewards. Inquiries may be directed to Mike Bothwell at (770) 643‐1606, email Mike@WhistleblowerLaw.com.
For more information about the firm, FCA settlements and FCA experience, see
www.whistleblowerlaw.com
You’re a healthcare worker who is considering joining the ranks of healthcare whistleblowers. You’ve been in the game long enough to know a kickback scheme when you see one. You’re pretty sure that something illegal is going down in your workplace or with one of your clients. Here are some signs of kickback schemes to help confirm illegal behavior. 
Medical insurance fraud cases don’t represent a victimless crime, and it doesn’t just affect big corporations. These types of crimes are directly responsible for shrinking benefits and higher costs. People who need insurance coverage get dropped every time insurers make adjustments. Anyone has the ability to make a difference by stopping insurance fraud in its tracks. Depending on the circumstances, doing so might add a few zeros to your bank balance.
In our evolved and humane culture, it’s only right that our elderly and terminal patients have a pleasant, government-supported place to spend their final days. Yet in the wake of the Affordable Care Act, it seems many hospice care centers have chosen to capitalize on the unprecedented potential of 
Medical insurance fraud in hospice shouldn’t be a surprise. Fraud can occur anywhere, whether it’s a routine doctor’s visit for a healthy person or hospice care for someone who is terminally ill. Some patients will have private insurance to pay for the costs of hospice care. However, most patients seeking hospice care will pay for it through a government program, such as Medicare, Medicaid or Veteran’s Health Administration. 
Health services make up a large portion of the American economy, so medical insurance fraud is a common occurrence. Kickbacks are one of the most common forms of illegal behavior in the healthcare setting, but why is this the case? And what are kickbacks, anyway? Read on to find out.
There are many types of healthcare fraud, and the United States government relies heavily on whistleblowers who report fraudulent activity. Anytime a healthcare provider uses misrepresentation on an insurance claim, this is fraud. The False Claims Act makes it possible for healthcare employees to report evidence of fraud in their workplace. Healthcare fraud costs millions of dollars every year.
Each year, somewhere between three to ten percent of money spent by the government on healthcare is spent on fraudulent insurance claims. Fraudulent insurance claims are becoming increasingly common. However, that doesn’t mean they have become easy to spot. In fact, the individuals committing Medicare insurance fraud have learned how to hide their fraudulent activity well.