About Victor Alexander
The law firm of Victor Alexander, Jr. P.C., has been successfully representing Georgians suffering a loss of quality of life due to an accident or injury for more than three decades. Let us help you obtain the medical and income benefits you need for your Workers’ Compensation or Personal Injury claim.
Archive for the ‘Whistle Blowing’ Category
WHISTLE BLOWER FACILITATES U.S. GOVERNMENT RECOVERY OF $750,000,000.00
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010Well, I guess we all want to be entrepreneurs. We believe in the American dream and want to succeed. We all believe that capitalism is the way to go.
Unfortunately, some very large corporations think and strive more for the bottom line and profits than to protecting the public. That appears to be what GlaxoSmithKline TLC did when it allowed a Puerto Rico subsidiary to sell drugs that often did not have the correct dosage and in many cases just fell apart.
Under our Medicare and Medicaid system, these drugs were sold and distributed to thousands of people receiving Medicare and other government benefits. Finally, a hero stood out in the form of one, Cheryl Eckard, a former quality assurance manager at Glaxo. Ms. Eckard, attempted to work within the system and tried to get her employer to respond only to be fired in the mid-2003.
Finally, to get the employer to do the right thing, she became a federal whistle blower under the whistle blowing statutes of the United States.
These statutes were initially passed during the Civil War when the same mule or horse would be sold to the U.S. Government (U.S. Calvary), two or three times. Gunpowder was delivered to the front in kegs. When the kegs were opened there would be sawdust. In order to stop this, the federal government passed laws where an ordinary citizen who knew of the fraud could file suit in Federal court. These same laws are in existence today and you too, if you know of such a fraud, could recover up to 30% of the amount recovered by the federal government.
In the Glaxo case, the federal government is going to recover $750,000,000.00 and Ms. Eckard could conceivably receive up to $96,000,000.00 from the federal share for her help.
We know that many people hate lawyers and what they do, but without them, Ms. Eckard would not have been able to go through the process and get such a recovery.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Read more about whistleblowing cases at Victor Alexander’s corporate website: www.vicalexander.com
Whistle Blower – Medicare Fraud at the Forefront (There is a Way)
Monday, November 1st, 2010Did you know that there is a Medicare claims database? This is a computerized record of bills Medicare pays for medical treatment. Many experts consider it to be a great source of information regarding the U.S. healthcare system.
Our Medicare system in the United Stated is huge. It ensures virtually every American 65 years of age or older. According to the Wall Street Journal’s October 26, 2010 front page article, Medicare accounts for about a third of all medical spending. Can you believe it?
Can you believe, Medicare Part A, the part that supplies payment for hospital, skilled nursing and hospice receives a billion and a quarter claims each year? Medicare Part B for physician services and medical equipment has to bill and account for over 14,000 diagnosis and more than 7,000 medical procedures that are found in the CPT code or current procedural terminology code section.
In the Wall Street Journal article, House Speaker Newt Gingrich is quoted as estimating that Medicare and Medicaid alone lose between $70 billion and $120 billion a year to crooks.
Unfortunately, this important database, which is available to the government is not shared with the public or public corporations. In lawsuits dating back to the Jimmy Carter era, the American Medical Association and the Florida Medical Association managed to obtain federal court orders banning the issuance of the data.
The data can be obtained at a price, as though we are not paying enough in taxes as it is, but the physician’s name is deleted and the data seems to be nothing more than samplings.
The Wall Street Journal managed to find a female physician in New York who managed to bill approximately 2.8 million in total fees even though she was just a family practitioner who ordered, according to her, many special studies. One of the experts cited in the Wall Street Journal article suggests that it would have been impossible to conduct the number of tests necessary to obtain such billing.
Perhaps the moral of this blog is to suggest that the federal government should do more about publishing this information so that mere mortals like you and myself could evaluate the data and hunt out these thieves. $70 to $120 billion a year in theft is incredible.
Again, please note that the federal statutes have whistle blower provisions. If you blow the whistle on your doctor or hospital, you can collect up to 30% of the amount recovered and federal courts, in their infinite wisdom, can double or triple the amounts.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Read more about whistleblowing cases at Victor Alexander’s corporate website: www.vicalexander.com
FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN WHISTLE BLOWING ISSUES
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010The October 22, 2010 issue of the Wall Street Journal reports that American Therapeutic Corporation and sister companies overbilled Medicare by the sum of perhaps $200 million for services they never delivered. Medication charts were apparently faked and assisted living facilities along with Half Houses were paid to bring patients for therapy sessions that were never held.
Federal authorities have arrested the companies’ owners and top managers.
Every year there are billions of dollars wasted by people like this. If you report such conduct you can recover up to 30% of the recovered amount and damages can be either doubled or tripled by Federal Judges.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Read more about whistleblowing cases at Victor Alexander’s corporate website.
Atlanta Lawyer Victor Alexander Blows the Whistle on Fraudulent Activity
Thursday, October 21st, 2010The Atlanta law firm of Victor Alexander, Jr. P.C. has increased its focus on whistleblowing cases. This unique practice area helps whistleblowers stop individuals whom obtain government funds for which they are not entitled or otherwise avoid or underpay their taxes.
Lawyers like those at the Victor Alexander Law Firm want to help ordinary citizens and whistleblowers bring fraud charges against the responsible parties.
Today, the U.S. government still allows the normal honest citizen the right to report a fraud. The government has the first right of refusal. If they agree to undertake a case, then you and your attorney will assist the government official (United States attorney) in the process.
The help of a lawyer is always recommended to avoid involvement with the fraudulent party. If the federal government could obtain a recovery for the fraud, then the whistleblower would recover a percentage of the amount obtained from the abuser. The conversation clients have with Victor Alexander is confidential and it’s important for clients not to tell the other party.
“We’ve seen many cases where a recovery has been made,” said Victor Alexander, Jr. “If you are in a position to know that a doctor, hospital or other medical provider has illegally billed Medicare or other government medical funders, contact me. It’s time to fight if you’ve been a victim or know someone committing fraud.”
Read more about whistleblowing cases at Victor Alexander’s corporate website.
Whistleblower Changes the Law
Thursday, October 21st, 2010For any reader who may be becoming interested in the whistleblower statutes where ordinary citizens can file suit against corporations, individuals, hospitals or other government contractors who commit fraud against the federal government this blog may be found interesting.
As you know, our wonderful banks, insurance companies and investment bankers created a financial disaster for all of us. Well in response to the disaster, the federal government has passed new legislation.
In the August 8, 2010 issue of Business Week, a discussion is raised about the 21‑year-old Securities and Exchange Commission reward for inside trading tipsters or whistleblowers. It indicates that six claimants had been ordered up to $1.6 million total for acting as whistleblowers. One woman was awarded $1 million when she blew the whistle against Petuot Capital Management.
Bounties for whistle blowing have been increased under the SEC’s authority up to 30 percent of all money the SEC collects including fines and ill-gotten profits. This is an increase of 20 percent over the past as it was, only 10 percent.
As you know our firm undertakes claims for whistleblowers against doctors, hospitals and any other government contractor illegally dipping their hands into the federal government honey pot. Please contact us if you know of any government fraud.
Read more about whistleblowing cases at Victor Alexander’s corporate website: www.vicalexander.com
