The U.S Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut announced on May 9 that Yale New Haven Health Services Corp. and Northeast Medical Group, Inc. have paid $560,718.48 to resolve federal and state False Claims Act (FCA) allegations. The hospital system allegedly submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services provided by mid-level providers
Implementing an Effective Compliance Program: A Focus on Elements Five and Six
In the next installment of Rivkin Radler’s Healthcare Compliance Lunch & Learn series, Rivkin Radler’s Bob Hussar and Mary Aperance will discuss the fifth and sixth required elements of an Effective Compliance Program. They will discuss:
- Disciplinary Standards
- Auditing and Monitoring
Bob is a partner in Rivkin Radler’s Compliance, Investigations & White Collar and Health…
NY Enacts Scaled-Back Version of Hochul’s Health Care Transactions Proposal
Following extended New York State budget negotiations, lawmakers have enacted a significantly modified version of Governor Hochul’s proposed health care transaction review bill, which we discussed in prior posts here and here. The bill, as originally proposed, included a comprehensive Department of Health review process, and required the Department of Health’s pre-approval to close…
DSOs: An Option Dentists and Dental Practices Should Consider
As a dental professional, you are likely aware of the surge of consolidation that has been affecting the industry for the last several years, which has mostly been driven by Dental Services Organizations (DSOs). This consolidation has not only created significant financial opportunities for investors, but it has also created additional financial and exit opportunities…
Second Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Therapist’s Free Speech Claim
In the case Brokamp v. James, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on April 27 affirmed the dismissal of Elizabeth Brokamp’s suit against New York officials. The Virginia-licensed mental health counselor’s suit claiming that New York’s licensing laws violated her right to free speech was previously dismissed by a lower court.…
NYS DOH Clarifies ACF Admission and Retention Standards
On April 25, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) issued a Dear Adult Care Facility Administrator Letter (DACF #23-15) after it came to the DOH’s attention that some ACF operators have interpreted recent regulatory changes (discussed here) to operate as an absolute bar on the admission and retention of individuals…
Fraud Week: CT Behavioral Health Providers Sentenced
We’ll wrap up this edition of Fraud Week with a look at two Connecticut behavioral health providers, one bad and one very, very bad. First, Alicia Thompkins, a social worker from Hartford, pleaded guilty on April 27 to Medicaid fraud, but received only a three-year suspended jail sentence and an order to pay $140,000 in…
Fraud Week: Garden State Fraud Roundup; Much Compounding
Here’s a selection of recent healthcare frauds from New Jersey. On April 17, John Sher of Margate was sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay $2.77 million in restitution and $327,987 in forfeiture for defrauding New Jersey state and local health benefits programs and other insurers. Sher and a co-conspirator recruited state…
Fraud Week: NY Transportation Company Owners Jailed, Fined
Transportation fraud isn’t new, but it’s new to Rivkin Rounds. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York recently announced that Yonkers resident Julio Alvarado was sentenced to 95 months in prison for leading a scheme that billed Medicaid for fraudulent transportation claims. From 2017 to 2020, KJ Transportation C Services Inc.…
Fraud Week: Focus on Florida Fraud
To celebrate the opening of Rivkin Radler’s first Florida office, we’ll cover some recent Florida frauds. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on April 20 that two Miami residents, Dean Zusmer and Lawrence Alexander, were sentenced to prison for their roles in a Medicare fraud scheme. Zusmer, a chiropractor, and Alexander, an orthopedic surgeon…
