Our firm represented a whistleblower who filed a False Claims Act case alleging that the Medicare program has been defrauded through an illegal kickback scheme by Arriva Medical, LLC. Specifically, the complaint alleged that Arriva waived co-pay obligations and offered “free” home blood glucose monitors in violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute. According to the lawsuit, Arriva submitted false claims to the Medicare program that were tainted by this kickback scheme. Arriva was at one time the country’s largest supplier of mail order diabetic testing supplies for Medicare beneficiaries. But the company is now defunct, after having its Medicare supplier number revoked in 2016 once the government uncovered, as part of this investigation, that the company had billed Medicare for deceased beneficiaries. This $160 million settlement is the largest False Claims Act recovery ever in the Middle District of Tennessee. The lawsuit was filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. To read more about our whistleblower practice group, click here.

Our firm represented a doctor and two nurses who filed a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging that Community Health Systems, Inc. (CHS) engaged in a systematic scheme to improperly increase the inpatient admission of individuals who sought care in CHS hospital emergency rooms. After more than three years of working with the government to build its False Claims Act case, the parties settled this case as part of a global resolution resulting in the return of more than $97 million to the federal and state governments and the implementation of a Corporate Integrity Agreement to prevent future misconduct. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee noted in its press release announcing the settlement that this was the largest False Claims Act settlement in the history of the Middle District of Tennessee. In Doghramji, the firm and our clients worked hand-in-hand with the government, building its case to prove that CHS had violated the law by falsely billing Medicare and other government healthcare programs by millions of dollars. Our lawyers and clients analyzed documents, prepared government investigators and attorneys for interviews and depositions, and helped build the model that led to the settlement of the case. The result: a record-breaking settlement for the government, and a fair and just recovery for our clients. To learn more about our Whistleblower practice area, click here .