New Healthcare Fraud Arrests and “Pill Mill” Allegations for Prescribing Opioids
Doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals were arrested across the country today in a massive healthcare fraud and opioid prescribing case. The case focuses on Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE fraud as well as prescribing unnecessary compound drugs and prescription opioids like fentanyl.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force organized the arrests and targeted doctors, nurses, and health care professionals in many states. The Real Life Recovery Delray treatment center and the Halfway There Florida sober home in Del Ray, Florida were among the facilities that were targeted.
The Justice Department is now making health care fraud and over-prescribing of opioid pain medication a top priority for prosecution. Most of these cases involve alleged violations of the health care fraud statute (18 U.S.C. §1347), the health care fraud conspiracy law (18 U.S.C. §1349), wire and mail fraud laws (18 U.S.C. §§ 1341 and 1343), the Anti-Kickback Law (42 U.S.C. §1320a-7b) and basic drug conspiracy and trafficking statutes (21 U.S.C. §§ 841 and 846).
We have helped many physicians and other health care professionals fight allegations of fraud and over-prescribing opioids. Based on our experience, hiring expert witnesses including forensic accountants and medical experts is absolutely critical in defending against heath care fraud charges. And the sooner this process can start, the better chance we have of successfully defending the charges.
If you have any questions or want to learn more, feel free to give us a call. There is no obligation or cost for the initial call, and we are available for immediate assistance.
For a basic summary of the health care fraud laws that apply in these cases, please visit our health care fraud page. We also have a lengthy video on that page that explains our strategy for winning these cases in court.
Page Pate is an accomplished trial lawyer with over 25 years of experience in criminal defense, civil litigation, and whistleblower representation. Page is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Top 100 Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers, and named to the list of Super Lawyers for the past 15 consecutive years. Page is a frequent expert legal analyst for local and national media and has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia Law School. Read Page’s reviews on AVVO. Follow Page on Twitter @pagepate and on Linkedin.