OIG Warns Telehealth Industry: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP jdsupra.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from jdsupra.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Wednesday, March 10, 2021
On February 4, 2021, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), Office of Public Affairs, issued a Press Release (the “DOJ Press Release”) announcing that Kelly Wolfe, President of Regency, Inc., a medical billing company located in Florida, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud through a “pernicious telefraud scheme”[1] involving fraudulent Medicare and CHAMPVA (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs) claims for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (“DME”) supplies. As a result of Wolfe’s criminal plea, Wolfe could face up to 13 years in federal prison.
In addition to her criminal plea, Wolfe and Regency agreed to a civil settlement of up to $20,332,516 to resolve allegations that Wolfe and her co-conspirators violated the federal False Claims Act and the federal Anti-Kickback Statute by bribing physicians to write prescriptions for DME supplies based upon non-exist
People warned of COVID vaccine survey scams
Staff and wire report Montana Senior Medicare Patrol is warning people of a new COVID-19 scam showing up in Montana. SMP reports it has received reports of an email scam where people are asked to complete a survey. They offer a free reward but ask people to pay a nominal fee “to cover shipping.” “Survey scams like this are a creative way to steal your identity or money,” SMP said in a press release. “Many survey scams offer a reward and give you a limited time to respond if you want to take the survey. A legitimate survey would not assign a time limit, nor would they ask for y.
email article
A New York vascular surgeon has admitted guilt and will pay $800,000 to settle charges that he performed unnecessary procedures on patients with kidney disease, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Feng Qin, MD, is also prohibited from participating in Medicare and other federal healthcare programs for 4 years in addition to the more than 2 years he s been excluded since his arrest, which was a condition of his bail, prosecutors said.
Qin was practicing in lower Manhattan and Far Rockaway, New York, when he was criminally charged in December 2018 with fraudulently billing Medicare for unnecessary procedures on end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.
Improper inducements, kickbacks, and self-referrals
Of course, every hospital will have different risk areas, and it is important to address these matters with specificity in a compliance program. Often, management can obtain some guidance from other hospitals; however, it is imperative that a hospital create a compliance program that is custom-tailored to its specific obligations.
3. Naming a Compliance Officer or Contact Person
After assessing all risk areas and developing a compliance strategy, the next step is to designate a chief compliance officer, or several employees who will oversee adherence to the plan and, when necessary, determine how the hospital will respond to any potential violations. For hospitals, it makes sense to hire one or more people to fulfill compliance obligations. The OIG recommends using a third-party compliance consultant, to the extent staffing concerns limit a hospital’s ability to assign compliance issues out to existing staff. This is generally