New Orleans, LA Medicare Fraud Defense Attorneys

Experienced, Trusted Legal Defense for Medicare Fraud Charges Serving the New Orleans, Louisiana Region

The Criminal Defense Firm is a health care law defense firm that deals with cases in the areas of regulatory compliance, corporate structuring, litigation, government investigations, and criminal defense. The combined experience of our group of attorneys is great, including the likes of the former Chief Health Care Fraud Coordinator at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, former senior Department of Justice trial attorneys, and former lead prosecutors of the elite Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Many of our lawyers graduated from the nation’s top law schools, such as Harvard Law and Yale Law. Our firm serves clients in New Orleans and surrounding areas.

Last year, the state of Louisiana had almost 800,000 Medicare beneficiaries as well as over 12,300 practicing doctors. In addition, a significant number of other people in the health care industry and medical supply industry also cared for patients and submitted paperwork to Medicare officials for reimbursement.

While the majority of medical professionals and medical businesses in Louisiana engage with the Medicare program appropriately, some are guilty of misusing the system through neglect and error, while others are guilty of intentionally profiting from the system through falsifying paperwork and taking advantage of patients.

Here are just a few examples of Medicare fraud in New Orleans in recent years:

• In March 2016, a New Orleans health care company owner and a doctor were convicted by a jury of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of health care fraud. The pair billed Medicare for $34 million in health care services that were not needed or services that were not provided.
• In March 2015, four doctors and nine nurses in New Orleans were charged with Medicare fraud after evidence surfaced that $30 million was stolen from the program through false billing practices involving health care supplies and services.
• In December 2015, two New Orleans doctors and a registered nurse were sentenced to federal prison time and made to pay millions in restitution after being convicted of Medicare fraud. The group was responsible for more than 8,000 fraudulent health care Medicare claims.

Because the Medicare system relies heavily on an honor code, state and federal organizations often investigate individuals, practices, and businesses based on data analysis. While these investigations sometimes reveal fraud, they also sometimes reveal a lack of evidence or a lack of intent. If you or your business is being investigated for Medicare fraud in Louisiana, it is vital to have a team of New Orleans Medicare fraud defense attorneys on your side that can guide you through the process from beginning to end and ensure you receive the best possible outcome from your case.

Medicare Fraud in Louisiana

Medicare fraud is the submission of false or fictitious claims by a health care provider to the governmental health care program Medicare. Medicare fraud is governed by a number of federal laws, including:

• The False Claims Act, which prohibits doctors and businesses from submitting a false or fraudulent claim to the United States government.
• The Exclusion Statute, which bars physicians from getting reimbursed from Medicare if they have an extensive criminal history.
• The Anti-Kickback Statute, which prohibits entities or people from seeking or receiving illegal payments in exchange for convincing a patient to receive medical services using their Medicare benefits.
• The Stark Law or Physician Self-Referral Act, which makes it illegal for a physician to refer a patient to a medical facility or a medical service in which he or she has a financial tie.
• The Civil Monetary Penalty Law, which states that The Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may pursue monetary penalties from those involved in defrauding the government of funds.

In New Orleans and Louisiana, there are a number of groups and organizations involved in upholding these laws and investigating cases of fraud. They include:

• The United States Department of Justice (DOJ)
• The United States Department of Defense (DOD)
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
• The Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
• The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU)
• The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT)
• The Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (HHS)
• Louisiana State Police
• New Orleans State Police

The Serious Consequences Of A Medicare Fraud Conviction

Medicare fraud is an extremely serious crime that comes with permanent and long-term consequences. Many criminal charges related to medicare fraud are felonies that are associated with heavy fines and federal prison time. In fact, one charge of Medicare fraud can result in 5-10 years in federal prison as well as $250,000 in fines or more.

In addition to paying retribution, paying fines, and serving time behind bars, medicare fraud convictions can also seriously affect your profession and career. Doctors and dentists may lose their license to practice, while medical professionals of all types may lose their ability to seek reimbursements from government health care programs like Medicare.

Four Reasons To Choose The Criminal Defense Firm

Finding a lawyer who you can trust to take on your Medicare fraud case can be a daunting task, especially if you are unsure of where to turn. In the past, clients have chosen our firm for the following four reasons:

• Our proven track record. We have a history of not only successfully getting fraud charges reduced or dismissed, we have a history of stopping charges from being filed during investigations. Look below to see specific examples of our track record.

• Industry knowledge. All of our attorneys have worked in health care law for many years and many of our attorneys have worked as prosecutors on the other side of health care fraud cases. This means that our lawyers are very familiar with fraud investigations, as well as with how these cases proceed from beginning to end.

• Profound familiarity with health care laws. Health care law is complex, and Medicare fraud charges can stem from a number of different federal statutes. Our experienced attorneys know all of the particulars of these laws as well as the best defenses against specific charges.

• Litigation & trial experience. Our attorneys shine in and out of the courtroom. With experience in literally hundreds of Medicare trials as both prosecutors and defenders we are comfortable both investigating cases and in front of a judge and jury.

Our Recent Medicare Fraud Case Results

When it comes to Medicare fraud investigations and charges, nothing is as important as the final outcome. Below, we invite you to read about some of our recent medicare fraud cases, including the allegations and the final result after working with our legal firm.

• Defense of Medicare laboratory against investigations by the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for alleged Medicare Fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a health care services company against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services for alleged False Claims Act and Stark Law violations.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of Medicare laboratory against investigations by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Inspector General for alleged health care Fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of nationally operating health care company against an investigation by the Department of Defense for alleged Tricare fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of health care marketing company against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for alleged False Claims Act and Medicare violations.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a laboratory against an investigation by various branches of the federal government for alleged fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services for alleged Stark Law violations.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for alleged fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Department of Justice for alleged fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for alleged Stark Law violations.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for alleged False Claims Act violations.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by various branches of the federal government for alleged False Claims Act, Stark Law, and Medicare violations.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for alleged fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Department of Defense for alleged Tricare fraud.

• Defense of a physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Department of Justice for alleged Medicare Fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of physician-owned entity against an investigation by the Department of Health and Human Services for alleged Stark Law violations.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of health care management organization against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services for alleged Medicare Fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

• Defense of nationally operating laboratory against an investigation by the Office of Inspector General for alleged fraud.
  Result: No civil or criminal liability.

Our New Orleans Medicare Fraud Defense Lawyers

The Criminal Defense Firm’s team of health care fraud defense attorneys combine an in-depth knowledge of the law, extensive experience handling both sides of Medicare fraud cases, and impressive amounts of time in the courtroom.

Schedule A Meeting With A Medicare Fraud Defense Attorney Today

Whether you are facing a Medicare billing audit, a Medicare fraud investigation, or Medicare fraud charges, speaking with a Louisiana health care attorney can help you understand the best strategy for moving forward in the best way for you, your career, and your business. At The Criminal Defense Firm, we have a long track record with handling even the most complex Medicare fraud cases, and we are here to help you navigate your case aggressively and efficiently. We offer private and confidential consultations. To schedule yours, please call us today or use our online contact form.

This information has been prepared for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This information may constitute attorney advertising in some jurisdictions. Reading of this information does not create an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee similar future outcomes. The Criminal Defense Firm is a Texas firm with headquarters in Dallas.