Hospices and The False Claims Act: Proposed Amendment Would Increase Liability Risk
The False Claims Act is the government’s most serious weapon to combat fraud in the healthcare community, and hospices are increasingly the target of FCA investigations and lawsuits. The United States Supreme Court is, for the first time, considering FCA cases involving hospices and certifications of terminal illness. Moreover, the relief funds disbursed by the government to hospices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic add to the existing and substantial number of bases of potential FCA liability for hospices. Aggressive government investigation, enforcement efforts and increased whistleblower activity is coming. Hospices can and should prepare for this new environment.
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