Federal Court Dismisses Care Alternatives Hospice Fraud Case

A federal court has dropped a False Claims Act (FCA) case against hospice provider Care Alternatives that has been working its way through the legal system for 16 years. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and four whistleblowers in 2008 filed the qui tam lawsuit against Care Alternatives Inc., doing business as Ascend Health. In […]

Appellate Ruling in Care Alternatives FCA Case May Set New Precedent

A recent court decision in a False Claims Act (FCA) case involving hospice provider Care Alternatives may set a precedent that could influence similar cases. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing a qui tam lawsuit against Care Alternatives Inc., doing business as Ascend Health, for alleged False Claims Act (FCA) violations. The case […]

​​Care Alternatives Returning to Court in FCA Case

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing a qui tam lawsuit against Care Alternatives Inc., doing business as Ascend Health, for alleged False Claims Act (FCA) violations. Four former employees of Care Alternatives have alleged that the New Jersey-based company billed Medicare for hospice services when patients were not eligible to receive them. The […]

Supreme Court May Weigh In on Hospice FCA Cases

The U.S. Supreme Court may take up a False Claims Act (FCA) case involving Georgia-Based Bethany Hospice & Palliative Care LLC, despite indications from the U.S. Justice Department that such a review would be unnecessary. The case comes at a time when regulators are intensifying scrutiny on hospice providers, seeking to root out those who […]

Supreme Court Asks U.S. Solicitor General to Weigh In Hospice Fraud Case

A week after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal vaccine mandate for health care workers, justices have turned their attention towards the matter of hospice fraud. The court has asked the U.S. Solicitor general to file a brief detailing the government’s position on a  fraud and anti-kickback suit involving Georgia-Based Bethany Hospice & Palliative […]

Federal Court Sides with Care Alternatives in False Claims Case

Hospice provider Care Alternatives, doing business as Ascend Health, has been cleared of Medicare hospice fraud allegations in a case that has twisted and turned through the courts for 13 years. The decision follows years of various courts overturning each other’s rulings, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case. The litigation arose […]

Hospice Whistleblowers Appeal to Supreme Court in Fraud Case

A fraud and anti-kickback suit against Georgia-Based Bethany Hospice & Palliative Care LLC may be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Attorneys for two former Bethany employees have filed a petition to the nation’s highest court after the Eleventh Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals dismissed the case in May due to a lack […]

U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Hospice False Claims Case

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear arguments in a False Claims Act (FCA) case involving the hospice provider Care Alternatives. FCA actions pertaining to hospices most commonly focus on questions of a patient’s eligibility for those services. A report from Bass, Barry, and Sims shows that a leading cause of fraud involves hospices […]

U.S. Supreme Court May Hear Hospice False Claims Case

The U.S. Supreme Court is mulling whether it will hear arguments in a False Claims Act (FCA) case involving the hospice provider Care Alternatives. FCA actions pertaining to hospices most commonly focus on questions of a patient’s eligibility for those services. A 2019 report from the law firm of Bass, Barry, and Sims indicated that […]