Exposing Fraud in Healthcare Industry: What You Need To Know on Healthcare Strike Force
Overview:
The Knowledge Group has assembled a panel of key thought leaders to provide the audience with an in-depth analysis of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) created to help mitigate fraud in the healthcare industry.
Key topics include:
- HEAT’s Mission
- HEAT’s Accomplishments in the Past Five Years
- FBI as the Primary Investigative Agency for Healthcare Fraud
- Federal Government Fight Against Medicare Fraud
- Increased Data Sharing
- Expanded Recovery Efforts for Overpayments and Abuse of Private Insurance
- Administrative Actions Against Healthcare Individuals and Health Agencies
Agenda:
SEGMENT 1:
Joshua A. Levy , Principal
Cunningham Levy LLP
- The need for a HEAT Strike Force at DOJ. Recently, CMS spends roughly $500b on Medicare each year, and 3-10% of that is said to be fraudulent. But only less than 1% in fraudulent funds is recouped each year by the entire government. Part of the problem is CMS. CMS (through its constellation of MACs, ZPICs and RAs) does not adequately identify, stop and deter fraud.
- MACs cannot identify fraud other than poorly completed paperwork on claims submissions. The Prompt Payment Rule requires MACs to reimburse claims within 14 days, so long as the paperwork is correctly submitted. Real fraudsters don’t mess up on the paperwork; they’re often submitting perfect paperwork for quick cash payments, even though the underlying claim is bogus. MACs are therefore nearly useless as fraud tool.
- ZPICs cannot gain real-time access to MAC data, meaning the ZPICs cannot quickly identify fraud.
- ZPICs and RACs (now RAs) are in different geographic zones, using different software, looking at different issues.
- Slow to use Big Data.
- HEAT’s use of Big Data. FBI analysts, working with HHS OIG analysts, have used big data to identify health care fraud trends (where CMS has not). For example, when the use of certain drugs or devices should no longer be used according to the standard of care, per peer reviewed journals and the like, HEAT analysts have hunted for rampant continued use of such drugs/devices, often revealing phony patients and crooked doctors.
- The heartland of HEAT prosecutions. HEAT prosecutors primarily investigate and prosecute fraudulent health care providers, DME suppliers and – to a lesser extent – drug companies. Mass arrests in different cities have stopped fraudulent Medicare coding practices (not previously identified and ground to a halt by CMS). While HEAT prosecutions have made an impact from the standpoint of criminal deterrence, they have been ineffective vehicles for helping the US recoup fraudulently spent funds. To wit, HEAT prosecutions – since their existence – have identified a total of roughly $6 billion in health care fraud; have resulted in hundreds of convictions; and yet have recovered only about $200,000 in criminal restitution because the defendants frequently have laundered the money. (From the standpoint of recoupment of funds, the government thus remains highly dependent on corporate-insider whistleblowers to file FCA cases against solvent defendants.)
SEGMENT 2:
David Stone, Managing Partner
Stone & Magnanini LLP
- HEAT’s Mission: An explanation of HEAT’s purpose and mission and how the FCA is being used by HEAT as a tool to recover taxpayer dollars.
- The FCA: A brief overview of the use of the federal and state False Claims Acts in combating Medicare and Medicaid fraud and the coordinated efforts with the State Medicaid Fraud Control Units.
- HEAT’s Accomplishments: In 2014, the Department of Justice recovered $2.3 billion in health care fraud alone. Since January 2009, the Department of Justice has recovered over $23 billion through False Claims Act cases, with over $14.8 billion of that coming from cases involving health care fraud. Indeed, many of the largest civil FCA recoveries have involved health care fraud.
- Recent Examples: A discussion about some of the recent Strike Force Enforcement Actions that are listed on the HHS website.
* False Claims Act cases under the Stark Law, Medicare and life science companies. The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to decide the case of Kellogg Brown & Root v. U.S. ex rel Carter. While that case deals with defense contracting, it could have significant impact on the healthcare industry as it deals with the first-to-file rule and the tolling of the 6-year statute of limitations. In addition, the Open Payments data release is likely to drive up False Claims Act qui tam suits since enterprising plaintiffs' attorneys can analyze the data for potential claims. Also the "worthless services" theory of recovery under the False Claims Act despite the 7th Circuit rejection of that theory in U.S. ex rel Absher v. Momence Meadows Nursing Center. There are actually lots of sub-subjects within the broader False Claims Act subject.
SEGMENT 3:
Michael Summerhill, Partner
Freeborn & Peters LLP
- The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for life science companies operating in emerging markets. 2014 saw numerous enforcement actions brought against life science companies, and these actions are expected to increase.
- Self-Disclosures of potential Stark and anti-kickback violations to both the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of Inspector General of the Dept. of Health & Human Services. This is probably the most attractive subject for me personally. CMS proposed a 60 day rule in 2/2012 that requires all Medicare providers to report overpayments and return the money to CMS within 60 days of identifying them. The final rule from CMS is expected later this year. Question concern how far back must a provider look. This is of particular concern given the prevalence of consolidation in the healthcare industry as potential overpayments are invariably discovered during the “due diligence” phase of a proposed merge.
Who Should Attend:
- Healthcare Law Attorneys
- Healthcare Service Providers
- Healthcare Consultants
- Directors and Officers of Healthcare Firms
- Health Insurance Companies
- Federal Healthcare Facilities
- Healthcare Organizations
- Other Related/Interested Professionals
Mike Summerhill is a Partner in the Litigation Practice Group of Freeborn & Peters LLP in Chicago. Mike has extensive …
Joshua A. Levy co-founded the law firm of Cunningham Levy LLP and represents companies, non-profits and individuals in litigation and …
David S. Stone is the Managing Partner of Stone & Magnanini LLP of Short Hills, New Jersey, which he co-founded …
Course Level:
Intermediate
Advance Preparation:
Print and review course materials
Method of Presentation:
On-demand Webcast (CLE)
Prerequisite:
NONE
Course Code:
144967
NASBA Field of Study:
Specialized Knowledge and Applications
NY Category of CLE Credit:
Areas of Professional Practice
Total Credits:
2.0 CLE
2.0 CPE (Not eligible for QAS (On-demand) CPE credits)
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SPEAKERS' FIRMS:
About Freeborn & Peters LLP
Freeborn & Peters LLP is a full-service law firm, headquartered in Chicago, with international capabilities. Freeborn & Peters is always looking ahead and seeking to find better ways to serve its clients. It takes a proactive approach to ensure its clients are more informed, prepared and able to achieve greater success – not just now, but also in the future. Freeborn & Peters is a firm that genuinely lives up to its core values of integrity, caring, effectiveness, teamwork, and commitment, and embodies them through high standards of client service and responsive action. Its lawyers build close and lasting relationships with clients and are driven to help them achieve their legal and business objectives.
Website: https://www.freeborn.com/
About Cunningham Levy LLP
Cunningham Levy LLP. Our firm specializes in government investigations, litigation, cyber security and data privacy. Leveraging our collective experience in the Department of Justice, the CIA, the White House and the Senate, our lawyers have represented clients in complicated, high-profile, high-stakes matters. Our firm’s lawyers helped pioneer the field of cyber security law and work with a team of some of the world’s top software engineers to help companies understand both their legal obligations and technological vulnerabilities, and how to meet them. Having tried hundreds of cases, our firm’s lawyers represent companies, non-profits and individuals in all manners of litigation and investigations. Within that space, we specialize in health care fraud investigations and congressional investigations. Our firm has offices in Los Angeles and Washington, DC.
Website: https://www.cunninghamlevy.com/
About Stone & Magnanini LLP
Stone & Magnanini LLP is a litigation boutique, formerly the New Jersey office of Boies, Schiller & Flexner, which spun off in 2009 into a powerhouse of its own. Stone & Magnanini’s practice has taken its attorneys all over the country and the world. Its attorneys are experienced in a wide variety of securities-related litigation, from defending complex class actions to litigating on behalf of individual and institutional shareholders to investigating and prosecuting securities fraud.
The founding partners, David Stone and Robert Magnanini, have participated in some of the most complicated and hard-fought securities cases in recent history, including, for example, securities litigation involving Maurice “Hank” Greenberg and his companies Starr International Company (SICO) and C.V. Starr & Co. in several complex litigations and investigations in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Bermuda. On behalf of Qwest Communications International, the firm’s attorneys were part of the team that won dismissal of a $9 billion civil RICO claim brought by foreign bankruptcy trustees over alleged accounting improprieties and settled over 20 opt-out suits for a fraction of the asserted exposure. Stone & Magnanini has also assisted Ponzi victims of Bernie Madoff and Kenneth Starr, in recovery damages from banks and other institutions who invested the funds.
Website: https://www.stonemagnalaw.com/home/