Medicare

Earlier this month, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued a decision that provided further clarity on the False Claims Act’s standard for materiality.  The decision, United States ex rel. Janssen v. Lawrence Memorial Hospital, further demonstrated that materiality should be viewed through the eyes of the government customer rather than an hypothetical bystander.  The decision also reconfirmed that the FCA is not a “general antifraud statute” and that contractual or regulatory language conditioning payment on compliance will not necessarily prove that noncompliance was material.  Lawrence therefore serves as an important reminder to government contractors, practitioners, and other stakeholders about the significance of the materiality element in FCA litigation.
Continue Reading Tenth Circuit Provides New Material on FCA’s Materiality Standard

Late last week, House Democrats passed Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act. This bill would, among other things, permit the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) to negotiate lower prices for 250 of the costliest drugs on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries and other consumers.
Continue Reading Momentum In Drug Pricing Reform: House Passes New Legislation on the Heels of Presidential Candidates’ Drug Pricing Proposals

Last week, a federal court reaffirmed its decision to hold an upcoming False Claims Act (“FCA”) trial in two parts, in what is the known instance of a court bifurcating the liability phase of a FCA trial.

The case, United States v. AseraCare, Inc., Civ. Action No. 2:12-CV-245-KOB (N.D. Alabama), concerns the alleged submission of false claims to Medicare for hospice benefits. The defendant, AseraCare, is a for-profit national chain of hospice providers. Like other similar organizations, AseraCare receives a significant amount of Medicare funds on behalf of individuals eligible to receive Medicare benefits. To be eligible for hospice care paid by Medicare, an individual must be certified by a physician as “terminally ill,” meaning that the individual has a life expectancy of six months or less. The Government alleges that AseraCare hid information from physicians in order to secure certifications of hospice eligibility for patients who were not terminally ill, making the claims the company submitted for Medicare reimbursement false. The Government also alleges that AseraCare had a general pattern and practice of obtaining false certifications, motivated by an interest in obtaining Medicare funds and more revenue. 
Continue Reading Judge Rejects Government’s Objections and Orders 1st Bifurcated FCA Trial of Its Kind