Proposed Changes to HHS Exclusion Authorities

A common side effect of settling a health care related criminal accusation is the potential for “exclusion.” Exclusion means that the provider cannot provide any services that will be paid for by federal funds, which effectively means that the provider cannot work for a facility that sees Medicare or Medicaid ...

Bird Marella Congratulates Rising Stars

Bird Marella congratulates Jessica C. Kornberg and Benjamin D. Lichtman for their inclusion on the Super Lawyer list of 2014 Southern California Rising Stars.

HHS Official Predicts HIPAA Fines Will Increase This Year

According to a political website, a Chief Regional Counsel predicted that HIPAA fines will increase in the coming year, stating this was based on the number of matters in HHS’s pipeline. Consistent with the saying “The cobbler’s children go unshod,” HHS could probably increase that number substantially if they also audited ...

US Recouped $3.8B From False Claims Settlements in 2013

Recoveries were down last year, but still quite significant. Could it be that the “low hanging fruit” is already gone? Or, could it be that it’s just a natural variation. Nevertheless, this is probably not an indicator that there’s less fraud. To read the USDOJ’s full press release, click here.