Orthopedic Surgeon Must Pay $343,000 to Settle Allegations of False Claims Act Violations
- posted: May 12, 2022
- Fraud
Dr. Mark Stephen Wilson, an orthopedic surgeon based in Oklahoma, will pay the federal government nearly $343,000 to resolve allegations of False Claims Act violations.
According to the Department of Justice, Wilson accepted illegal kickback payments from Brookhaven Specialty Pharmacy LLC.
DOJ attorneys stated Wilson knowingly accepted payments from Brookhaven Specialty Pharmacy from 2014 through 2016 in exchange for recommending and prescribing the company’s pain creams.
According to the DOJ press release, the pharmacy paid Wilson “medical director fees” based on an hourly rate. However, these fees were actually used as kickback payments to reward Wilson for his assistance. Wilson wrote these prescriptions for patients who were insured through the Federal Employees Compensation Act Program (FECA), which made it a violation of the False Claims Act.
Under the Act, it is illegal to either pay or receive so-called kickbacks. These anti-kickback laws exist to ensure financial motivations do not come ahead of quality and affordable patient care. The False Claims Act helps protect the integrity of taxpayer-funded healthcare programs and ensures taxpayer money is not wasted due to healthcare fraud.
Unfortunately, the U.S. government loses billions of dollars in healthcare fraud every year. Whistleblowers are in a unique position to bring this fraud to light and ensure those committing it are held responsible for their actions.
For more information about how you can blow the whistle on fraudulent activity, contact an experienced whistleblower lawyer at Kardell Law Group.
