Compliance News Roundup: State Enforcement

1. Ohio Hospital Operator Agrees to Pay United States $14.25 Million to Settle Alleged False Claims Act Violations Arising From Improper Payments to Physicians – “Mercy Health, a nonprofit organization based in Cincinnati that operates healthcare facilities in Ohio and Kentucky, has agreed to pay the United States $14,250,000 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians, the Justice Department announced today.” Get the full scoop >>

2. Doctor Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Taking Bribes in Test - Referral Scheme with New Jersey Clinical Lab– “A Monmouth County doctor with practices in Colts Neck, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for accepting bribes in exchange for test referrals as part of a long-running and elaborate scheme operated by Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), of Parsippany, New Jersey, its president and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.” Get the full scoop >>

3. Deeper Than the Headlines: State Enforcement – As compliance professionals, we tend to focus on large dollar settlements to raise awareness within our organization. These type of events can definitely make some executives pay attention. These settlements also often are announced on a national stage such as the DOJ’s or OIG’s websites in prominent places. However, one area we tend to neglect is state enforcement. States have increased their enforcement efforts of non-compliance and it’s having an impact. In this week’s deeper than the headlines, let’s take a closer look at some examples. Get the full scoop >>