Willie Sutton was a prolific bank robber, who reportedly stole an estimated $2 million over a forty-year period. When ask why he robbed banks, he responded, “Because that’s where the money is.” Applying this criminal business plan to modern days, Willie Sutton most certainly would have targeted government health care programs.
Nolan Auerbach & White are experienced Healthcare Fraud Attorneys helping courageous whistleblowers.
With health care expenditures nearing 18% of the nation’s gross domestic product, the fraud bulls eye on health care expenditures is substantial. In fact, U.S. spending on health care hit $2.7 trillion in 2011, and some experts have estimated that over 10% is lost to fraud, waste and abuse.
However, the worst is likely yet to come, because health care expenditures—and, by extension, health care fraud—will skyrocket in the coming years, as the baby boomer generation ages into Medicare. Indeed, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, currently 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every single day, and the per capita health costs at that age and older are $9,744 a year, compared to $2,739 for those 25 to 44.
This mounting tsunami of health care fraud requires immediate action from a government that is increasingly gridlocked in partisan paralysis. However, until decisive action is taken to further sure up health care funds, whistleblowers remain on the frontlines, incentivized and encouraged by the False Claims Act qui tam provisions. In turn, with courageous citizens vigilantly guarding the public fisc, perhaps modern-day Will Suttons will seek targets other than our limited government health care dollars.
Kathleen Hawkins, RN MSN, had been employed by Defendant, Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) for approximately 6 years when she decided she had had enough of trying to change the hospital system from within.
CHW, a California not-for-profit corporation that operated hospitals in California, Arizona, and Nevada, was at the time the eighth largest hospital system in the nation and the largest not-for-profit hospital provider in California.
Joe Strom contacted us in 2005. We were very grateful that he did. We immediately formed an all-star legal team and a process to stop a very harmful pharmaceutical marketing strategy. It was this process we set into motion that ultimately returned hundreds of millions of dollars to the U.S. Treasury, and a portion of that, very well-deserved, into Joe’s bank account.
Joe told us a very troubling story about the off-label promotion of a pharmaceutical drug for patients who already suffered from chronic heart failure.
Bruce Moilan was a seasoned hospital systems expert by the time he contacted our Firm. At the time he decided to file his qui tam lawsuit, he was employed by South Texas Health System as a System Director for Materials Management. In this position, he oversaw $24 million in annual purchases of supplies and equipment and helped determine budget, reduction and cost analysis throughout the contract bidding and negotiations process. His job was to insure proper implementation for purchasing, receiving and management of inventory, for McAllen Hospitals, L.P.