ATTORNEY NEWSLETTER
Prime Healthcare and Its CEO Settle Whistleblower Case for False “Upcoding”
Whistleblower Will Receive $17.2 Million Reward
A California Registered Nurse will receive a $17.2 million reward for blowing the whistle on her employer’s false claims to the federal government for reimbursement under Medicare.[1] The employer, Prime Healthcare, is the nation’s fifth largest hospital chain and owns and operates hospitals throughout California. An employed ER nurse blew the whistle on the company’s scheme of pressuring ER teams to admit patients who did not need inpatient care and then billing the government for the maximum hospital stay permitted even though the patients were usually discharged right after admission. Significantly, Prime Healthcare’s CEO will pay $3.25 million of the settlement. As the whistleblower’s counsel observed, “These schemes … do not happen without the involvement of powerful individuals who control corporate conduct.”
The California whistleblower lawyers at Evans Law Firm, Inc. represent plaintiffs and whistleblowers in healthcare fraud and False Claims Act cases every day. We litigate false claims whistleblower cases in the California State courts and federal courts all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Offending companies include hospital, clinic and laboratory chains; pharmaceutical companies; medical equipment manufacturers; and other healthcare providers. If you or a loved one has information regarding invalid or false claims under Medicare or Medicaid or any other government program, call the Evans Law Firm today at (415)441-8669 and we can help.
The rewards for whistleblowers, such as in this case, are big. In the past six years, the government paid out $3 billion in whistleblower awards. While the cases are lengthy, potential rewards are thus worth the effort. If you have hard evidence of false claims against the government, don’t just pick up a phone and call the relevant agency; if you do that, you will jeopardize your chances at a reward. Call experienced counsel instead. The California whistleblower attorneys at Evans Law Firm know what the government looks for in these cases and can effectively guide a case through initial application, investigation and discovery, and trial.
Contact Us
If you have information regarding Medicare or Medicaid fraud including under the Medicare Advantage program or any false claims against the government or tax avoidance schemes against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), contact the Evans Law Firm California whistleblower/qui tam attorneys at (415) 441-8669, or by email at <a href=”mailto:info@evanslaw.com”>info@evanslaw.com</a>. Our attorneys have experience with complex qui tam or whistleblower cases, offshore tax avoidance and securities fraud cases, complex financial contract cases and cases against large insurance companies. We can help guide your case through a jury trial or toward an equitable settlement. We also handle cases involving physical and financial elder abuse, nursing home abuse, whole life insurance and universal life insurance, and indexed, variable, and fixed annuities.
[1] Evans Law Firm, Inc. was not involved in the case in any way but want to share with readers the allegations in the complaint and terms of the settlement. In a statement, Prime Healthcare emphasized the fact that there was no admission of liability in the settlement.
