Healthicity Blog

Most of us by now have heard of the Yates’ Memo that directs the Department of Justice attorneys to hold individuals accountable for inappropriate actions associated with corporate wrongdoing. Since the memo, there’s been an increase of corporate accountability in the headlines, which demonstrates...

“Open wide and say….Compliance”

Most of my blog posts reporting on settlements involve medical professionals or providers. It’s important to recognize that dental providers are also not immune to compliance woes.

Welcome to this week's post in our Deeper Than the Headlines blog post series.

In fiscal year 2016, the Department of Justice (DOJ) recovered $2.5 Billion through the False Claims Act from the healthcare industry.

On Dec. 1, 2016, a judge ordered to unseal an indictment of 21 individuals allegedly involved in a $40 million bribe and kickback scheme involving Forest Park Medical Center Dallas (FPMC). 

Though whistleblower settlements don’t necessarily seem to be slowing down, it does seem that the government is announcing more and more settlements that appear to have originated from government data mining as opposed to whistleblowers.

Most doctors read medical journals to stay abreast of the most current treatment options or cutting edge research about advancements in clinical care. And more and more physicians are seeing articles in their medical journals about compliance, fraud and abuse.

Many of us have heard the phrase that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. It seems this is proving true with a couple of recent healthcare compliance settlements.

An OIG Special Agent, ZPIC Contractor, and U.S. Attorney all walk into a bar…Except they didn’t actually walk into a bar. But, they did recently walk into a Congressional hearing to offer testimony on healthcare fraud and abuse investigative efforts. What they had to say was pretty interesting.