A federal judge in Tennessee has found that a dialysis company bilked the federal government out of $19.4 million. U.S. District Judge William J. Haynes Jr. issued the order against Renal Care Group, Renal Care Group Supply Co. and Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc. The order concluded that the companies ran a single operation and
Healthcare
Florida nurses rally for improved staffing and whistleblower protections
Florida nurses rallied at their state capitol this week to call for minimum staffing ratios and whistleblower protection. The Miami Herald was there to report on the rally. The nurses cite research showing that improving nurse-to-patient ratios saves lives and costs less than alternative safety procedures that would cost more. The bill would also provide…
Whistleblowing nurse Anne Mitchell acquitted in Texas
A jury in Andrews, Texas, has acquitted an experienced nurse of charges that she misused official information when she sent an anonymous letter to a state medical board to complain about a doctor’s malpractice. Anne Mitchell had been a nurse at the Winkler County Memorial Hospital for 25 years. In April 2008, Dr. Rolando G.
A beautiful quote on employer pretexts
My friend Paul Taylor of the Truckers Justice Center shares this beautiful quote that I will be using in briefs for my clients:
"Today’s employers, even those with only a scintilla of sophistication, will neither admit discriminatory or retaliatory intent, nor leave a well-developed trail demonstrating it. … It is a simple task for employers to concoct plausible reasons for virtually any adverse employment action ranging from failure to hire to discharge."
Raymond v. U.S.A. Healthcare Center-Fort Dodge, LLC, 468 F. Supp.2d 1047, 1054 (N.D. Iowa 2006).
False Claims Act Whistleblower Puts a Stop to Abuse at PA Psychiatric Hospital
Yesterday, I blogged about a pending multi-million dollar False Claims Act (FCA) lawsuit agains Pharm giant Wyeth. Today’s news brings another example of how the FCA can be used to bring gross misconduct to light. This case, involving a western Pennsylvania psychiatric institution has settled for far less money than many of the more highly…
U.S. Government and 16 States Join False Claims Act Lawsuit Against Pharm Co. Wyeth
The United States Government, along with the governments of 15 states and the District of Columbia, have joined with two whistleblowers who allege that drug manufacturer Wyeth bilked US taxpayers out of hundreds of millions of dollars. As reported in the Wall Street Journal and the FierceHealthcare website, Wyeth is accused of overcharging Medicare and…
20 Groups File Amicus Brief for Physician Whistleblower
Many of our readers (and certainly those who attended Whistleblower Week in Washington 2008) may have heard about the case of Dr. Gil Mileikowsky. Dr. Mileikowsky is a California Obstetrician who, in 2000, began blowing the whistle on some very disturbing issues at a hospital that was operated by Tenet Healthcare. Among other things,…