Fort Lauderdale Health Care Fraud Lawyers – Your Best Defense Against Allegations
Health care fraud allegations can ruin careers and lives. If you are a health care provider in Fort Lauderdale facing accusations of fraud, you need an experienced legal team on your side. The health care fraud defense lawyers at our firm have decades of combined experience representing physicians, medical practices, hospitals, pharmacies, medical equipment suppliers, and other health care providers. We understand the complexity of health care regulations and how to build an aggressive defense to clear your name.
Why Do I Need a Health Care Fraud Lawyer?
Health care fraud charges shouldn’t be taken lightly. Depending on the extent of the allegations, you could be facing serious criminal penalties like prison time, massive fines, and exclusion from federal health care programs. Even civil False Claims Act lawsuits can result in treble damages and exclusion. Our health care fraud defense lawyers have successfully defended health care professionals against criminal and civil fraud allegations and can help mitigate the consequences.
What Constitutes Health Care Fraud?
Health care fraud encompasses a wide variety of allegations like:
- Billing for services never performed
- Billing for unnecessary medical procedures
- Upcoding services for higher reimbursement
- Violating the Anti-Kickback Statute through improper referrals or compensation
- Falsifying patient records
- Prescription fraud scams
Prosecutors are aggressively pursuing health care fraud cases, but many allegations originate from simple mistakes or misunderstandings of complex billing regulations. Our lawyers dig deep into the facts to determine whether fraud truly occurred or if an innocent mistake was made. We build a strong defense around the reality of the situation.
Why Choose Our Health Care Fraud Defense Team?
With our extensive experience as both defense attorneys and former federal prosecutors, we understand health care fraud cases inside and out. We have successfully defended health care providers against investigations by the FBI, DOJ, DEA, IRS, and other agencies. Our track record includes:
- Securing dismissals of criminal charges pre-trial
- Negotiating favorable plea agreements with reduced penalties
- Preventing civil False Claims Act complaints from being filed
- Resolving audits prior to criminal referral
We also employ the services of medical expert witnesses to challenge flawed statistical data and set the record straight regarding allegations of improper coding, medical necessity, standard of care issues, and more. Our layered defense strategy attacks the prosecution’s case from every angle.
Developing an Individualized Defense Strategy
Every health care fraud case is unique. After thoroughly analyzing the prosecution’s evidence and allegations, we develop a defense strategy tailored to the facts of your case. This may include demonstrating:
- You acted in good faith without intent to defraud
- The alleged fraudulent practices were simply errors and oversights
- Your billing and coding were appropriate under the regulations
- You qualify for a safe harbor exception to the Anti-Kickback Statute
- Patient records contain justifiable discrepancies
- Your medical necessity determinations were sound
Proving that allegations stem from misunderstandings rather than intentional fraud can help achieve full dismissal of charges or significantly reduced penalties. We know how to craft the right defense for your unique situation.