Health Care Fraud Enforcement Continues to Rock Pharmacy Industry

pharmacy fraud

pharmacy fraudBy: Karen Davila

Yet again, the fraud enforcement arm of the DOJ strikes out against fraud in the pharmacy industry.  Two new cases shed continuing light on the ongoing fraud.

Announced last week by the DOJ, the owner/operator of five pharmacies in New York pled guilty to charges stemming from a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid by billing for prescription drugs that were not dispensed, not prescribed, not medically necessary or dispensed when the pharmacy had no authority to dispense the prescription drugs.  This blatant disregard for the law was magnified when the owner/operator used the ill-gotten gains of her scheme to purchase luxury items like cars and jewelry.  Nothing screams “come and get me” like openly flaunting the money taken from the government.Continue reading

Health Care Fraud Enforcement Got You Worried?

healthcare fraud in 2020

healthcare fraud in 2020By: Karen Davila

Healthcare fraud continues to be a significant priority for the U.S. Department of Justice.  On February 24, 2021, the DOJ’s Criminal Division Fraud Section published its annual “Fraud Section Year in Review 2020.”  While the Fraud Section has three separate enforcement units, the Health Care Fraud (HCF) Unit is responsible for all enforcement activities in the health care industry.  The Unit’s focus is to protect against fraud and abuse in federal health care programs and recoup illicit gains.

During 2020, the HCF Unit operated 15 strike forces in 24 federal judicial districts throughout the U.S.  The efforts of these strike forces led to charges against 167 individuals alleging $3.77 billion in fraudulent charges for health care paid for by federal and state programs.  This should cause any health care provider to stand up and take notice.  And enforcement in the health care industry is not likely to go away soon with so many schemes ripe for the government’s picking and generating recoupment on behalf of the federal health care programs.

Here are couple of the latest schemes that have landed pharmacies, pharmacists and other health care professionals squarely in the crosshairs of federal enforcement:

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