According to the firm’s founding attorney, Nick Oberheiden, PhD, “Fraud under Medicare and other government healthcare programs costs tens of billions of taxpayer dollars annually. As a result, reporting fraud is extremely important, and laws like the False Claims Act provide incentives for whistleblowers to come forward. Our firm is now available to assist individuals nationwide with exposing Medicare fraud—including Medicare Advantage Plan fraud and Medicare Drug Plan fraud—as well as fraud under all other federal healthcare benefit programs.”
Dr. Oberheiden lists billing fraud, falsifying medical records, and pharmaceutical companies paying illegal kickbacks healthcare providers as examples of potential grounds for filing a whistleblower complaint under the False Claims Act. But, he also emphasizes that these are just a few of numerous possibilities. “From billing Medicare for medically unnecessary services to artificially inflating healthcare costs through other means, healthcare providers can—and should—be held liable for all types of fraudulent activities.”
As Dr. Oberheiden explains, the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act allow individuals in the private sector to report all forms of fraud, waste, and abuse under the Medicare program and other federal healthcare programs. As he goes on to explain, serving as a healthcare whistleblower under the False Claims Act begins with filing a qui tam complaint in federal court. “Medicare whistleblowers and other healthcare whistleblowers can initiate False Claims Act cases on the federal government’s behalf; and, if their cases are successful, they are entitled to a monetary reward calculated as a percentage of the government’s recovery.”
Dr. Oberheiden also emphasizes that whistleblowers are entitled to strong protections regardless of whether their qui tam complaints lead to civil liability. “In all cases, Medicare and Medicaid whistleblowers are entitled to confidentiality and protection against retaliation. The False Claims Act includes strong anti-retaliation provisions, and these provisions entitle whistleblowers to clear remedies in the event that their employers retaliate against them illegally.”
“But,” he continues, “due to the False Claims Act’s confidentiality protections, whistleblowers’ identities will remain unknown to their employers in most cases.”
Oberheiden P.C. is currently accepting healthcare whistleblower cases involving claims against hospitals, clinics, labs, and other healthcare providers, as well as pharmaceutical companies, durable medical equipment companies, and other companies involved in the healthcare industry. “Fraud is a major issue in all segments of the healthcare industry, and whistleblowers play a critical role in holding bad actors accountable,” says Dr. Oberheiden. “By offering our services to healthcare whistleblowers nationwide, we are hoping to be able to help current and former employees in all segments come forward and expose fraudulent behavior to the federal government.”
Filing a qui tam complaint under the False Claims Act is a complex process; and, while whistleblowers are not required to have legal representation, Dr. Oberheiden says that engaging experienced legal counsel is “strongly recommended.” “While filing a qui tam complaint is complicated on its own, this is just the first step toward exposing fraud in the federally funded healthcare system. After a whistleblower files a qui tam complaint, the government conducts an investigation, and it is important for whistleblowers to play an active role in the investigative process. Once the government has completed its investigation, it will decide whether to intervene in the case; and, regardless of whether the government intervenes, there are additional steps that whistleblowers must be prepared to take at this stage as well.”
Oberheiden P.C. is offering free and confidential consultations to all prospective healthcare fraud whistleblowers, and the firm represents its whistleblower clients on a contingency-fee basis. Dr. Oberheiden says that individuals who have questions about exposing Medicare, Medicaid, or any other form of healthcare fraud to the federal government are encouraged to contact the firm for more information.
Nick Oberheiden, Founding Attorney, 888-680-1745 (Office)
Attorney Advertising – Oberheiden, P.C., is an experienced whistleblower law firm headquartered in Houston, TX with a nationwide network of senior lawyers and consultants. The firm’s healthcare whistleblower lawyers are available to assist individuals throughout the United States with filing qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act. The firm’s addresses and contact information can be found at www.federal-lawyer.com/our-locations.
Media Contact
Company Name: Oberheiden, P.C
Contact Person: Nick Oberheiden, Founding Attorney
Phone: 888-680-1745
Country: United States
Website: https://federal-lawyer.com/whistleblower-lawyers/medicare/