How to Ensure Your Lab Doesn’t Become a “Take-Down Target”

Recorded on December 9, 2015

Don’t Let Your Lab Become a “Take Down” Target for US Law Enforcement Agencies!

Here’s What You Need to Know and Do if the DOJ, HHS-OIG, or FBI Target Your Lab Under the Stepped-Up Medicare Fraud Enforcement Program … and What Steps You Can Take Now to Make Sure Your Lab Does Not Become a “Take-Down Target”

Duration: 90 Minutes

Make no mistake: Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies have launched some of the toughest crackdowns ever on Medicare fraud … and labs like yours are a top target for investigation and enforcement action.

Earlier this year, the DOJ, HHS-OIG, FBI, and other state and local law enforcement agencies, carried out the largest criminal “takedown” in Strike Force history, targeting 243 individuals for an alleged Medicare fraud scheme involving more than $700 million in alleged false billings.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Enforcement agencies are targeting individuals at every level in health care organizations. The ACA provides greatly increased resources for prosecuting fraud … and criminal penalties are stiffer than ever for individuals convicted of fraud

What do you do if your lab is targeted for investigation? What steps do you take? How do you respond? More important, what steps can you take now to help prevent your lab from becoming a target in the first place?

Don’t Let Your Lab Become a Law Enforcement “Take Down” Target!

Gina L. Simms and Robert E. Mazer, principals at Ober|Kaler, and highly-recognized and respected experts on health care law, will tell you what steps you can take NOW to make sure your lab does NOT become a “take-down target” … and what you need to know and do if the DOJ, HHS-OIG, or FBI targets your lab for fraud investigation.

Here’s just a sample of what you’ll learn in this Webinar:

• You’ll get a full rundown on the stepped-up investigation and enforcement efforts targeting Medicare fraud, including what enforcement agencies are looking for … the new investigative tools investigators and prosecutors are using … to identify potential fraud, spot developing trends, and discover billing and payment problems in real time … and the stiffer criminal penalties for individuals convicted of health care fraud.
• You’ll get a clear picture of the legal and compliance-related issues that are driving the aggressive new investigations, including the “red flags” that trigger the attention of investigators … and the potential legal liability of individuals at every level in your lab.
• You’ll take a close look at the latest and largest “takedowns” resulting from the stepped-up enforcement, including a look behind the Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services, Health Diagnostic Laboratory, and Singulex cases, to understand the warning signs that triggered these investigations … and why your lab needs to be more vigilant than ever in your compliance programs.
• You find out what you can do to greatly minimize the odds of being targeted for a Medicare fraud investigation, including why and how to avoid non-compliant arrangements with providers … and when to conduct your own internal audits and investigations to identify and correct potential investigation triggers.
• You’ll discover the specific steps you should immediately take if you are targeted by DOL, HHS-OIG, the FBI, or any other Federal, state, or local law enforcement agency for a Medicare fraud investigation … what you should do … what you should say … who you should contact … and, just as important, what you should never do or say.
• You’ll get basic strategies for surviving a law enforcement investigation from legal experts who have participated in fraud investigations and prosecutions and have practical, hands-on experience representing both law enforcement, and health care clients.
• And much more!

Don’t put your lab at risk!  If you are targeted for a Medicare fraud investigation or audit, it will cost you a staggering amount of time, money, aggravation, and disruption of your operation EVEN IF YOU ARE 100% in compliance with Medicare regulations.  Watch this webinar and find out what you can do NOW to help make sure you lab does not become a “takedown” target.

Your Presenters

Gina L. Simms, Principal, Ober | Kaler Government Investigations and White Collar Defense Group, specializes in white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and corporate compliance issues. She counsels and represents individual and corporate clients, including health care providers and financial institutions, in connection with investigations and prosecutions related to potential violations of federal and state civil and criminal statutes.

Prior to joining Ober | Kaler, Gina served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland where she was a Criminal Health Care Fraud Coordinator.  Following the Deepwater Horizon disaster, she was detailed to the Department of Interior as an Investigative Counsel in the Investigations and Review Unit of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Regulation and Enforcement where she pursued allegations of wrongdoing by oil and gas companies engaged in offshore oil production.

Gina brings to her practice more than twenty years of trial and investigation experience in complex white collar and other criminal matters, including health care fraud, financial fraud, tax fraud, government contract fraud, bribery/gratuities, and environmental enforcement.

Robert E. Mazer, Principal, Ober|Kaler Health Law Group, represents hospitals, clinical laboratories and other diagnostic services providers and has extensive experience with legal, regulatory and business issues related to clinical laboratory and anatomic pathology services.

Rob provides advice on a broad range of payment and compliance issues, including Medicare, Medicaid and other third-party payment rules, the Federal Anti-kickback Statute, the Stark Law, and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988. He also represents companies facing government investigations and those who are parties to regulatory disputes, including Medicare recoupment actions for alleged overpayments.

A frequent lecturer and author, Rob has co-authored compliance manuals related to Medicare fraud and abuse prohibitions and the Stark Law, published by G2 Intelligence.  Rob has earned an AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell peer review ratings.