A Delaware employee who came forward with allegations of fraudulent Medicare billing may be entitled to a whistleblower reward.
The employee worked for an MRI provider located in Sussex county that is now subject to a federal court judgment of $16 million. The False Claims Act case may provide a whistleblower reward for the employee who shared the information. This reward could be as high as $3 million.

Whistleblower Reward May Apply in False Claims Act Case

The accused company, a neuroimaging center, operates at various independent diagnostic facilities throughout Maryland. It was ordered by a federal court in Delaware to pay more than $16 million for submitting false claims to Medicare. This judgement could lead to a whistleblower reward for the employee who alerted the government to the scheme. The owner of the company was also named in that judgment as liable for more than $6 million.A whistleblower reward is a common element of False Claims Act cases in which an employee becomes aware of the fraudulent or illegal activity and informs the government. A whistleblower who helps the government recover from the alleged violators may be entitled to a portion of the reward.In this case, the U.S. government made a request for default judgment on the complaint, alleging that the company knowingly submitted false claims by using contrast dye in MRI scans. This was done without appropriate physician supervision, according to the lawsuit.If the defendant does not appropriately react or respond to the complaint, a default judgment can be requested. The whistleblower reward in this case may be given to a former employee through the False Claims Act. The United States intervened in the lawsuit to protect its interests in September.The employee receiving the whistleblower reward worked with the company for ten years up until 2012 and may be entitled to an 18 percent share of whatever the officials recover from the defendants. If the entire judgment is paid, this could amount to approximately $3 million.In many of these cases, a whistleblower may try to raise awareness inside the office about the allegations of fraud first. If no further action is taken from there, however, then the employee might move forward with a False Claims Act case.Medicare regulations require that any MRI procedures using contrast are only to be completed under direct supervision of a physician. The employee who may receive part of the whistleblower reward asked the company owner about this requirement in 2007 and was told that the physician operating in the suite next door was their supervising doctor. However, that doctor was never in the office during the actual procedures and would not have been able to respond appropriately if there were problems.If you or someone you know believes you may have grounds of government fraud that could lead to a whistleblower reward, you may benefit from a consultation with an attorney familiar with medical billing fraud cases under the False Claims Act.