Healthcare Whistleblower Attorney (January Update)

We Help Healthcare Workers, Researchers, and Others Blow the Whistle on Federal Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

Fraud, waste, and abuse are major concerns in the healthcare sector. While this shouldn’t be the case, the federal government and private insurers pay billions of dollars in False Claims Act cases each year. Not only do these fraudulent claims result in additional financial costs for patients and other taxpayers, but many healthcare fraud cases put patients’ health and safety at risk as well.

As a result, if you have information about fraud, waste, or abuse in healthcare, it is important that you speak with a whistleblower attorney about coming forward.

The federal government relies on whistleblowers to help identify bad actors. While federal agencies and Medicare auditors monitor for various forms of fraud, waste, and abuse in the healthcare system, their resources are limited. Whistleblowers help the government identify unlawful medical practices that it cannot identify on its own—and, when they do so, they are entitled to protection under federal law.

We Have Extensive Experience in the Area of Federal Healthcare Fraud

Each healthcare whistleblower lawyer at Oberheiden P.C. has extensive experience in the healthcare sector. Along with experience representing whistleblowers, this includes prior experience investigating and prosecuting healthcare fraud for the federal government. Our team includes several former U.S. Attorneys, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) trial lawyers who were responsible for holding fraudulent actors accountable during their time in civil service.

Due to this experience, we are extremely well-versed in all aspects of healthcare whistleblowing and have successfully represented clients in these cases. We know what information employees (and others) need to come forward, and we know how to make sure our clients receive the protections that are available. We also understand the federal government’s healthcare-related enforcement priorities, and can work with federal prosecutors (many of whom are our attorneys’ former colleagues) to ensure that our clients’ information receives the attention and consideration it deserves in healthcare-related government fraud whistleblower cases.

Put our highly experienced team on your side

Dr. Nick Oberheiden

Founder

Attorney-at-Law

Lynette S. Byrd

Former DOJ Trial Attorney

Partner

Brian J. Kuester

Former U.S. Attorney

Hon. Kevin McCarthy

55th Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives (ret.)

Government Consultant

Mike Pompeo

Of Counsel

Former U.S. Secretary of State

John W. Sellers

Former Senior DOJ Trial Attorney

Linda Julin McNamara

Federal Appeals Attorney

Nicholas B. Johnson

Former Prosecutor

Roger Bach

Former Special Agent (DOJ)

Chris J. Quick

Former Special Agent (FBI & IRS-CI)

Michael S. Koslow

Former Supervisory Special Agent (DOD-OIG)

Ray Yuen

Former Supervisory Special Agent (FBI)

Our Attorneys Help Whistleblowers Report All Forms of Healthcare Fraud

Our whistleblower law firm helps employees and other individuals in reporting healthcare fraud of all kinds to the federal government. This includes (but is not limited to):

Medicare Fraud

Medicare fraud alone is responsible for billions of dollars in taxpayer losses annually. When healthcare providers provide (and bill for) services that are medically unnecessary services and engage in other fraudulent practices, they can put their patients at risk as well. We help whistleblowers report all forms of Medicare billing fraud, including upcoding, unbundling, double billing, and phantom billing, among others.

Medicaid Fraud

Medicaid fraud is a major issue as well. If you work for a healthcare provider, pharmacy, or other entity that is fraudulently billing Medicaid for items or services, we can help you blow the whistle. Like other forms of healthcare fraud, fraudulently billing Medicaid violates the federal False Claims Act (FCA), which provides clear and substantial whistleblower protections.

Tricare Fraud

Healthcare industry providers that bill Tricare for items and services provided to active duty service members, veterans, and their family members must strictly comply with Tricare’s unique billing rules and requirements. Whether intentional or not, Tricare billing violations can lead to unnecessary costs for patients and taxpayers, and they can—and should—be reported.

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Fraud

We also represent employees of medical health providers that bill the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for items and services provided to federal government employees. Similar to Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare, the DOL’s healthcare benefit program has specific billing rules and requirements. If you are aware of DOL billing violations, you should speak with our experienced healthcare fraud attorneys promptly.

Federal Healthcare Contract Fraud

In addition to representing employees (and former employees) of healthcare providers and other patient-facing entities, we also represent employees (and former employees) of federal healthcare contractors. If you are aware of a contractor overbilling the government, billing for services not provided, substituting inferior items or services, or engaging in any other form of government contract fraud, you should speak with an attorney about coming forward in this scenario as well.

Federal Healthcare Grant Fraud

Federal healthcare grant fraud is a concern that has been gaining attention in recent years. However, despite awareness of the issue, the federal government still lacks the authority and insight to independently uncover fraud in many cases. If you work for a federal healthcare grant recipient and you have concerns about false data, false claims, or any other form of such fraud, we can help you decide whether to contact the federal government to expose violations.

Private Health Insurance Fraud

Healthcare whistleblowers can also aid in the federal government’s fight against private health insurance fraud. Fraudulently billing private insurers violates federal law, and providers that engage in private insurance fraud can—and should—be held accountable. Here, too, the federal government relies heavily on whistleblowers to come forward with the information it needs to take appropriate legal action.

Important Information for Potential Healthcare Whistleblowers

Since we regularly speak with individuals who are thinking about blowing the whistle, we know that you have lots of questions as a potential healthcare whistleblower. Here are some important pieces of information you may want to know as Medicare and Medicaid patients:

• When you contact us, you are under no obligation to come forward. We do not expect you to have already made up your mind about blowing the whistle when you contact us for a free initial consultation. If you decide not to come forward after speaking with an attorney, we will not pressure you to change your mind. Learn more about healthcare whistleblower rewards here.
• No matter what you decide to do, we will protect your identity and the information you share with us. We will protect your identity regardless of whether you decide to blow the whistle, and we will only share your information with the government if you authorize us to do so. Otherwise, all information you share with your attorney will be held in strict confidence.
• You do not need to publicly disclose your identity to come forward. As a healthcare fraud whistleblower, you are entitled to keep your name confidential. In many cases, it will be possible to maintain this confidentiality throughout the entire whistleblower process.
• Your healthcare whistleblower lawyer at Oberheiden P.C. will advise and represent you every step of the way. When you choose to work with a whistleblower lawyer at Oberheiden P.C., you will have direct access to your attorney at all times. Your attorney will communicate with the government on your behalf while staying in close communication with you as well.
• If you have information about healthcare fraud, coming forward is the right thing to do. While it is ultimately your decision whether to come forward, it is important to understand that exposing healthcare fraud is the right thing to do. You should not feel pressured to hide information about fraud, waste, or abuse—and you should always keep in mind that exposing healthcare fraud benefits the greater good.

FAQs: Working with a Healthcare Whistleblower Lawyer to Report Fraud, Waste, or Abuse