Federal authorities reportedly ratcheted up their focus on the Dallas area as a hotbed of health care fraud activity some time ago. The heightened scrutiny commenced as an offshoot of federal investigatory efforts that The Dallas Morning News states have been ongoing “for the past few years.”
What the FBI and other federal entities have lasered in on regarding Texas pharmacies and testing laboratories (again, especially in the Dallas metro) can be summed up in two words: illegal kickbacks.
Regulators say that those alleged payments have been made by medical businesses to doctors to spur enthusiasm for patient referrals. Prosecutors claim that some pharmacies and labs then engage in wrongdoing that enables them to falsely bill insurance companies and government programs like Medicare.
The list of entities already targeted in criminal probes is long.
Notably, it grows progressively lengthier. Individuals linked with one Forth Worth pharmacy face fraud charges for billing the government on drug markups that exceeded their costs by more than a 130:1 margin. One lab company allegedly paid doctors for referrals and then ordered unnecessary tests for soldiers. A Dallas health care entity is accused of kickback activity and the doctoring of drug ingredients in its labs.
Such cases underscore the government’s strong interest in health care fraud matters these days. They also inspire public ire through their tales of outlier defendants who broadly paint the entire health industry in a dark way.
The message is clear enough for virtually any actor in the medical realm. Your business is likely being closely scrutinized by civil and criminal authorities focused on fraud.
Questions or concerns can be directed to a proven Texas criminal defense law firm that routinely provides diligent representation to individuals and enterprises that operate in the health care sphere.
