There are a number of federal criminal, civil and administrative enforcement provisions set forth in the Medicare statutes which are aimed at preventing fraudulent conduct, including hospice fraud, and which help maintain program integrity and compliance. Some of the more prominent enforcement provisions of the Medicare statutes include the following: 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b (Criminal fraud and anti-kickback penalties); 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7a and 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-8 (Civil monetary penalties for fraud); 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7 (Administrative exclusions from participation in Medicare/Medicaid programs for fraud); 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-4 (Administrative subpoena power for the Comptroller General).

Other criminal enforcement provisions which are used to combat Medicare and Medicaid fraud, including hospice fraud, include the following: 18 U.S.C. § 1347 (General health care fraud criminal statute); 21 U.S.C. §§ 353, 333 (Prescription Drug Marketing Act); 18 U.S.C. § 669 (Theft or Embezzlement in Connection with Health Care); 18 U.S.C. § 1035 (False statements relating to Health Care); 18 U.S.C. § 2 (Aiding and Abetting); 18 U.S.C. § 3 (Accessory after the Fact); 18 U.S.C. § 4 (Misprision of a Felony); 18 U.S.C. § 286 (Conspiracy to defraud the Government with respect to Claims); 18 U.S.C. § 287 (False, Fictitious or Fraudulent Claims); 18 U.S.C. § 371 (Criminal Conspiracy); 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (False Statements); 18 U.S.C. § 1341 (Mail Fraud); 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (Wire Fraud); 18 U.S.C. § 1956 (Money Laundering); 18 U.S.C. § 1957 (Money Laundering); and, 18 U.S.C. § 1964 (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (”RICO”)).

Joseph P. Griffith, Jr., Hospice Fraud in South Carolina & the U.S. – A Review for SC Hospice Attorneys, Lawyers, Law Firms and Qui Tam Whistleblowers (2010)

Joe Griffith is a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in Charleston, SC.  Joe handles white collar crime cases and select litigation matters. I met Joe when giving a presentation on the PPACA for the South Carolina Bar last month. I have previously posted information on the criminal aspect of ERISA enforcement.  Joe was kind enough to give me permission to make his article on hospice fraud available to supplement the criminal enforcement material available on this site.

I uploaded the above-referenced article on erisaboard.com in the Resources/Scholarship forum.  It is an excellent resource for those seeking an overview of the False Claims Act and Qui Tam arena.   (For those who are not registered with erisaboard.com, that particular forum should be open for public viewing next week .)

I hope to soon have an excerpt from a health care fraud book Joe is co-authoring with Bart Daniel, Esq., also of Charleston (and also a former federal prosecutor and U.S. Attorney), which I will make available on this site and erisaboard.com as well.

The federal and state governments are recovering billions of dollars through simultaneous criminal and civil litigation initiatives.  These illustrate the issues and risks that arise under a myriad of statutory and regulatory regimes, many of which were enhanced under the PPACA.