The Arizona Center for Cancer Care has been targeted in a new lawsuit alleging the company committed medical billing fraud amounting to around $8 million over the course of several years.

Arizona Center for Cancer Care serves thousands of cancer patients in the area, but allegedly ripped off government health programs like Medicare for millions of dollars, according to the recent federal lawsuit.

The medical billing fraud lawsuit originated as a whistleblower complaint. The whistleblower, Jeffrey S., was the billing manager for Arizona Center for Cancer Care.

Jeffrey brought the complaint in 2016 under the False Claims Act, noting that he had warned the company multiple times over the course of several years that its methods of charging for services constituted medical billing fraud. However, despite his many warnings, he says he was ignored and in some cases even berated for bringing up his concerns.

Moreover, when Jeffrey say that when he told one of the doctors in the facility that a whistleblower could report medical billing fraud to authorities, he was told to make sure this didn’t happen by preparing a so-called “defector’s cookbook.”

An independent audit commissioned by Arizona Center for Cancer Care itself found that patients were, on average, overcharged $200 each through improper billings. But instead of using the audit to correct these problems, doctors used the information it revealed to better conceal their actions moving forward, Jeffrey claims.

Jeffrey alleges that his bosses retaliated against him, and wrote in a letter regarding his decision to file the whistleblower complaint: “I know you’re all angry with me for filing the lawsuit. But I tried to come to you with my concerns . . . I am concerned for the patients who are suffering from cancer and may not be able to get the treatment they need if the insurance caps out because of continued false billing.”

According to the whistleblower lawsuit, Arizona Center for Cancer Care improperly took $8 million from a variety of U.S. health care agencies in medical billing fraud since 2011. How did it do this? Allegedly by double billing, charging for medically unnecessary services, and charging more than what certain tests and treatments actually cost, the medical billing fraud lawsuit alleges.

The health care facility denied the accusations of medical billing fraud, filing a counterclaim against the whistleblower in return for $3.5 million in damages, claiming he failed to perform his duties. Though the cancer facility motioned to dismiss, U.S. District Judge David Campbell rejected the motion in a preliminary ruling.

Filing a Whistleblower Lawsuit

Whistleblowers are individuals who report the fraud and illegal activities against the government of their current or former employers. Many employees choose to come forward as whistleblowers because they do not feel right about their employer’s actions. A whistleblower lawsuit can be filed while working at the company, but can also be filed after having left the company.

While a person considering becoming a whistleblower may be worried that they will face retaliation for their actions, there are regulations in place to protect whistleblowers from such retaliation. Plus, the whistleblower is typically given a substantial reward—often between 15 and 30 percent of the money recovered in a successful whistleblower lawsuit.

If you believe you have witnessed medical billing fraud by your current or former employer, you may be able to file a whistleblower lawsuit (also known as a qui tam lawsuit) on behalf of the government.