Corporate Whistleblower Center Now Urges the US Congress to do Something About Healthcare Companies That Routinely Violate Stark Act Anti-Kickback Laws with Criminal Penalties Rather Than Slaps on the Wrist Penalties

News provided by

May 29, 2019, 08:33 ET

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "We have one of the most aggressive initiatives in the nation focused of federal taxpayers being ripped off with waste, abuse and fraud. One of our specialties is identifying fraud or overbilling Medicare or Medicaid programs. It is estimated that overbilling or defrauding Medicare and Medicaid combined each year probably costs the US taxpayers north of $150 billion dollars.

"One of the biggest problems we have discovered with respect to Medicare or Medicaid fraud are healthcare companies that pay kickbacks to medical doctors for using their service, admitting their patients, or prescribing a drug or medical device. There are laws that were designed to protect taxpayers from these types of practices that are called the Stark Laws or Anti-Kickback Statute-but they are a joke.

"About once a month the Department of Justice will announce a multi-million-dollar settlement with a healthcare company-----and nothing changes? Healthcare companies continue to bribe physicians because the penalties are not that severe. It's like a never-ending dog and pony show. You rob a bank-you go to jail-you steal millions of dollars from Medicare-Medicaid-you pay a fine-if you get caught!" https://corporatewhistleblower.com/

The Corporate Whistleblower Center now has a Modest Proposal for the US Congress and the United States Department of Justice:

"Rather than slapping healthcare companies on the wrist with a fine that may not even recover the actual damages for bribing physicians----we are proposing healthcare companies that engage in bribing medical doctors should face criminal consequences-as in the healthcare company executives engaged in the crimes/kickbacks go to jail. Why have laws or rules and regulations to protect Medicare/Medicaid without any meaningful penalty? Clearly----fining healthcare companies for Stark Act/Anti-Kickback Statute violations are not working." https://CorporateWhistleblower.Com

According the US Department of Health and Human Services Anti-Kickback Statute, "The AKS is a criminal law that prohibits the knowing and willful payment of "remuneration" to induce or reward patient referrals or the generation of business involving any item or service payable by the Federal health care programs (e.g., drugs, supplies, or health care services for Medicare or Medicaid patients). In some industries, it is acceptable to reward those who refer business to you. However, in the Federal health care programs, paying for referrals is a crime." [42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)]

The Corporate Whistleblower Center is the premier advocate for whistleblowers in the United States. Unlike any group in the US, they can assist a potential whistleblower with packaging their information and providing the whistleblower with access to some of the most accomplished whistleblower attorneys in the nation-provided the whistleblower's information is adequate. If you are a member of the US Congress rather than blowing more taxpayer money on non-stop Trump or Clinton investigations why not do something meaningful-like making an actual effort to clean up a very broken Medicare-Medicaid system? https://CorporateWhistleblower.Com

Exhibits: