Quest Pays $1.8M to Settle Fraud Charges after Being Caught Double Dipping

September 1, 2015 by Begelman and Orlow

There are not many people who can’t wait to have their blood drawn for diagnostic testing. Even fewer people want to do it twice. On the other hand, medical testing giant Quest Diagnostics Inc. did enjoy getting paid twice. According to the US Attorney’s office, the company was submitting duplicate claims to Medicare for a… More

NJ & PA Among 48 States to Share $71 Million Amgen False Claims Act Settlement

August 26, 2015 by Begelman and Orlow

In a historic settlement agreement, Amgen, drug manufacturer of Aranesp (anemia drug) and Enbrel (arthritis and psoriasis drug) agreed to pay a $71 million settlement after attorneys general from 48 states alleged that the company was marketing the two drugs for off-label purposes. After the $71 million settlement offer was announced on Aug. 18, Amgen… More

States Take False Claim Actions to Reduce Medicaid Fraud

August 18, 2015 by Begelman and Orlow

States are mad as h#ll and are not going to take it anymore. The “it” in this cases is Big Pharma companies buddying up to pharmacies: paying kickbacks that encourage questionable Medicaid and Medicare billing. Recently, the US government went after Novartis, seeking to reclaim about $3.3 billion in false claim allegations. Announcement of this… More

NJ Top Court Affirms Watchdog Employees’ Rights to be Protected after Blowing the Whistle

August 10, 2015 by Begelman and Orlow

Let’s say your job was to oversee certain activities at work and report instances of wrongdoing. In essence, you are getting paid to be a potential whistleblower – should you come across information that would have an adverse effect on your company. There are many people in New Jersey, especially at pharmaceutical firms headquartered throughout… More

Whistleblower Allegations Shine a Light on So-Called “Specialty Pharmacies”

August 3, 2015 by Begelman and Orlow

In South Jersey, you can’t drive a few miles at most without seeing a drug store – CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid – on the corner. Every food store, Big Box store and discount department store entice shoppers with low-cost generic prescription programs. But for some families dealing with major or rare illnesses, there’s only… More