Monthly Archives: December 2015
Dog Owner Faces Murder Charge
What can only be described as a tragic and horrendous event made headlines across the country in November. The tragic story began with a mother walking to a local elementary school in Detroit, Michigan, with her four-year-old son; she was on her way to volunteer at the school. En route to the school, she… Read More »
South Florida’s New Home Health Agency Ban Extended
Due in part to South Florida’s status and reputation as the number one place for organized fraud in the country, specifically health care fraud, a federal moratorium on new home health agencies has been extended. Under current federal health care law, a temporary ban can be put in place to prevent the enrollment of… Read More »
Adventist Health Reaches Huge Fraud Settlement
In what is being called the largest settlement ever reached in a health care fraud case relating to hospitals’ relationship with doctors, Adventist Health System has agreed to settle the claims for $118.7 million. The fraud claims stem from a white-collar lawsuit alleging the hospital violated a federal law that limits the financial relationships… Read More »
Governor Scott Wants Audits of Medicaid-Managed Contracts
In an arguably surprising move, Governor Rick Scott wants many hospitals in the state to undergo random audits of their Medicaid contracts. This decision comes hand in hand with the state’s desire to investigate nearly 130 hospitals to ensure they are not violating Florida law. The governor has specifically asked the state Department of… Read More »
Mortgage Fraud Leads to Prison Sentence
When mortgage companies defraud the federal government or the state, they incur huge risks. One Miami-area mortgage company owner recently learned that lesson the hard way. Hector Hernandez owned and operated Great Country Mortgage Bankers, a mortgage lender in Miami. After a recent guilty plea, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for… Read More »
Major South Florida Hospital Group Reaches Fraud Settlement
The public hospital group Broward Health recently voted to reach a settlement with the Department of Justice reaching almost $70 million. The payout stems from a four-year federal investigation into alleged widespread Medicare and Medicaid fraud throughout the hospital system. The investigation started after federal authorities received an anonymous tip. In 2011 Department of… Read More »
Term Limits Proposed for Florida Judges
In a move meant to limit the influence of a single judge in the appellate process, the Florida legislature has introduced a bill to limit the terms of appellate judges. Senator Travis Hutson and Representative John Wood have filed companion legislation that would limit appellate judges and state Supreme Court justices to two-six year… Read More »
Florida Medicare Fraud Goes Beyond Borders
Another tactic used by suspected Medicare fraudsters has piqued the attention of state and federal authorities looking to crack down on Medicare fraud. This strategy, known as the foreign-enrollment loophole, occurs when Medicare is paid to individuals living abroad. In general, Medicare is not available outside the U.S., except for certain emergency situations. Thus,… Read More »