What is a Whistleblower Lawsuit?

What do you do when you see an activity that looks suspicious? Some people do nothing because they don’t want to get involved, and others do nothing because they are unsure who to tell and how to do it. If you want to learn more about what you can do when you see something wrong in medical practice, you can speak to an experienced attorney about whistleblowing.

Medicaid and Medicare Fraud

Healthcare fraud against the government occurs when companies who accept Medicaid and Medicare incorrectly charge for services. They may exaggerate the services performed when filing a claim for their patient or bill the insurance provider for actions that never took place. This isn’t the only healthcare-related cause for a whistleblower lawsuit, though.

What is Whistleblowing?

Whistleblowing is the act of “calling out” a person or company for committing fraud. It could be against the government through Medicaid and Medicare. However, whistleblowing can happen with any wrongdoing, such as criminal activity or corruption.

In healthcare, there is a wide variety of actions that may lead someone to file a whistleblower, or qui tam, lawsuit. The ones below are only a few:

• Falsifying patient records or billing
• Unsafe distribution or prescription of medications
• Medical provider kickbacks
• Dangerous working conditions for employees
• Increasing payment through unnecessary tests or treatments

Who Can File a Qui Tam Lawsuit?

Anyone with intimate knowledge of the illegal or unethical practices can file a lawsuit. Often, an employee in the medical practice, one of the clinics’ patients or one of the patient’s family members suspects something is wrong and seeks legal advice.

Whistleblower Protections and Awards

While there are a few things to consider before deciding to file a whistleblower lawsuit, you should know that there are laws in place for your protection. The Whistleblower Protection Act protects against retaliation, for example. The False Claims Act provides protections and the potential for an incentive award of 15-30% of the fraudulent funds that are recovered as a result of the qui tam lawsuit.

Schedule your free consultation with the Race Law Firm today to learn more about filing a qui tam lawsuit directly related to the activities you suspect are fraudulent or unethical.