Compliance News Roundup: State False Claims Acts

1. Michigan clinic office manager pleads guilty to $131M healthcare fraud scheme - “A clinic office manager pled guilty for his role in a healthcare fraud scheme that involved the unnecessary prescription of controlled substances and resulted in a $131 million loss to Medicare. Yasser Mozeb, 35, of Oakland County, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks.” Get the full scoop here >>

2. Massachusetts radiology lab loses medical records of about 9,400 people – “A Massachusetts radiology lab says it has lost a portable hard drive that may contain the personal information and X-ray images of almost 9,400 patients. Charles River Medical Associates, based in Framingham, mailed letters this week to patients whose records are missing. The hard drive stored names, dates of birth, patient identification numbers and bone density scan images dating to 2010. It did not have insurance information or Social Security numbers.” Get the full scoop here >>

3. Deeper Than the Headlines: State False Claims Acts – Many of us are well-aware of the Federal False Claims Act. It has been a powerful tool in the government’s arsenal in fighting healthcare fraud. One of the key provisions in the Federal False Claims Act is the whistleblower, or qui tam, provision. What many people don’t know, however, is that states are incentivized to pass state false claims acts. And many states have done so. In fact, 30 states have some form of a state false claims act. So, let’s talk about what that means for you as a compliance professional. Get the full scoop here >>