Texas Construction Fall Lawyer: Construction Falls Are a Leading Cause of Fatal Work Place Accidents by Texas Construction Fall Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Texas Construction Fall Lawyer: Defective Scaffolding, Lack of Proper Safety Equipment, and Negligent Construction Site Safety Managers Are All Potential Causes of Fatal Construction Site Accidents by Texas Construction Fall Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Texas has a multi-billion dollar construction industry that has been able to shift many laws against injured workers and the families of workers that have been killed in construction site accidents.  As such, instead of improving safety on construction sites, many general contractors are cutting corners on construction safety, destroying evidence of inadequate safety, and using legal technicalities to fight having to compensate injured workers and grieving families.  By hiring a Texas serious fall lawyer, Texas construction equipment accident lawyer, or Texas accident death lawyer, to investigate a fatal construction accident or serious injury accident, a family can often determine what potential compensation may be available under Texas law and avoid many of the legal traps that have been created by the construction industry.

Serious Injury and Fatal Construction Falls Can Be Caused by Defective Scaffolding, Lack of Proper Safety Equipment, and Negligent Construction Site Safety Managers

An increasing number of construction workers are being seriously injured and/or killed by construction falls caused by defective scaffolding, lack of proper safety equipment, and negligent construction site safety managers.  The families of construction workers who are seriously injured or killed at a construction site should make sure that the construction accident is timely and properly investigated to make sure that the negligence does not occur again and that the responsible parties are thoroughly investigated and made to pay any and all compensation that is required under Texas law.  Many of these claims have a two year statute of limitations, but it is important for the family to begin the investigation as soon as possible to prevent the general contractor, insurance adjusters, or others from destroying or removing important evidence.

OSHA Has Been Gutted Over The Last 16 Years and Often Does Not Have The Resources To Fully Investigate Construction Work Place Deaths

Since the creation of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) in 1970, the number of work place deaths and serious injuries have decreased.  However, over the last 16 years OSHA has been gutted and safety has been put on the back burner.  In many situations, OSHA has actually started blaming workers instead of employers for on the job deaths.  They have changed how work place deaths are tabulated and have allowed work places all over the United States to become more dangerous.  They also do very limited investigations after a death compared to the OSHA of the past.

Under the guise of limiting red tape and regulations, OSHA no longer protects workers and ensures that work places are safe as they did in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.  As such, it has fallen on work place accidental death lawyers and the families of those wrongfully killed, to investigate work place accidents and employer negligence that have killed employees. 

For more information on investigating the construction accident including the death of a loved one, please feel free to contact Texas Construction Fall Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer, or go to the following web page: Investigating Accident Death Lawsuits. 

Texas Inheritance Lawyer: Texas Inheritance Can Often Get Trapped Requiring A Texas Probate Lawyer to Free Real Estate and Other Inheritance by Texas Inheritance Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Texas Inheritance Including Mineral Interests, Bank Accounts, Stock, and Other Property Can Often Get Stuck After A Loved One Passes Requiring a Texas Inheritance Lawyer to Help Free Assets by Texas Inheritance Lawyer Jason S. Coomer 

In some situations family inheritance gets stuck in probate before it can be transferred or collected by a loved one's rightful heirs or beneficiaries.  Several reasons can cause assets to become stuck during the inheritance process including lack of information regarding the assets or Texas probate process, missing heirs or beneficiaries, fighting heirs and beneficiaries, proximity of heirs and beneficiaries, and lack of resources to move inheritance through the Texas probate process. A good Texas inheritance lawyer can often help resolve many of these issues allowing inherited property to become unstuck and to be passed to rightful heirs and beneficiaries.

Lack of Information Regarding Inheritance and Probate Assets

The issue of lack of information regarding inheritance and probate assets can often cause inheritance to become stuck or even lost.  Communication, research, and obtaining possession of crucial documents are typically the best method of resolving this issue.  Communication by the decedent or the loved ones of the decedent can often prevent assets from becoming stuck or lost.  By leaving an inventory of assets or at least some documents with an inventory of assets, a person can often prevent the loss of their assets after they pass.  However, in some situations the person that has died was battling significant health problems prior to their death, died unexpectedly, or became incompetent prior to their passing.  In these situations, it is often necessary to piece together assets through collection of documents and research.

Missing Heirs and Beneficiaries

  

The issue of missing heirs and beneficiaries can also often cause inheritance to become stuck.  In these situations, it is often necessary to file pleadings with the court and have an ad litem appointed to represent or search for missing heirs or beneficiaries.  These appointments can often become expensive and require substantial resources, however, if there are sufficient assets in the estate it is often worth the time and effort.  Further, in some instances a Texas inheritance lawyer can handle these cases on a contingent contract that can often alleviate some of the expense of the probate process. 

Fighting Heirs and Beneficiaries (Contested Probate)

When heirs and beneficiaries start fighting over inheritance, it can also cause the inheritance to become stuck.  In these situations, it is often necessary for Texas inheritance lawyers to represent all parties to help resolve issues and conflicts.  These contested cases can often be extremely expensive, especially, if the parties are not willing to agree to certain issues and force decisions to be made by a Judge or Jury.

The Proximity of Heirs and Beneficiaries

Often families do not live in the same city or state or sometimes even in the same country.  In these situations it is often necessary to hire a local Texas inheritance lawyer to help probate an estate and transfer inheritance.  In these situations, the heir or beneficiary can sometimes transfer inheritance without ever coming to Texas or with one or two trips to Texas.

Lack of Resources and Contingent Contracts

In some situations, heirs and beneficiaries cannot afford the cost of probate and other transfer costs.  In these situations, a Texas Contingent Probate Lawyer or Texas Contingent Death Benefit Lawyer that works on a percentage of the estate property can help heirs and beneficiaries transfer estate property to rightful heirs and beneficiaries. In these situations, the Texas Contingent Probate Lawyer or Texas Contingent Death Benefit Lawyer will typically need to see that there are actual significant assets in the estate and who the rightful heirs and beneficiaries are of the estate.  In these cases, bank statements, life insurance policies, royalty statements, mutual fund statements, retirement fund statements, real property deeds, property tax information, and other evidence of the estate assets can be useful in determining the approximate value of the estate and if a contingent contract for probating the estate can be viable.

For more information on this issue, please go to the following web page: Texas Contingent Probate Inheritance Lawyer.

Causes of Pancreatic Cancer: Changes in DNA Caused By Drugs May Cause Pancreatic Cancer by Diabetic Pancreatic Cancer Lawyer

Causes of Pancreatic Cancer: Diabetics and Health Care Providers Prescribing Diabetes Drugs Should Be Aware That Some Diabetes Medications Can Cause An Increased Risk of Pancreatic Cancer by Diabetic Pancreatic Cancer Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Though scientists still do not know the exact cause of all cases of pancreatic cancer, they have found several risk factors that can make a person more likely to get this disease. Recent research has that several diabetes drugs may cause an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.  These diabetes drugs include Januvia, Janument, Victoza, Byetta, Onglyza, Tradjenta, Bydureon, Oseni, and other diabetes drugs.  If you have been taking a diabetes drug and have been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer or you have lost a loved one that was taking a diabetes drug and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, please report the adverse action to the prescribing medical doctor and FDA as soon as possible.  

For persons that have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or families that have a loved one that has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was taking diabetic drugs, please feel free to send an e-mail message to Pancreatic Cancer Lawyer Jason Coomer.

Causes of Pancreatic Cancer: Understanding DNA May Be The Key to Determining Causes of Cancer

Researchers have made great progress in understanding how certain changes in DNA can cause normal cells to become cancerous. DNA is the chemical in each cell that carries our genes — the instructions for how our cells function. We look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than the way we look. Some genes contain instructions for controlling when our cells grow and divide. Certain genes that promote cell division are called oncogenes. Others that slow down cell division or cause cells to die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes. Cancers can be caused by DNA mutations (defects) that turn on oncogenes or turn off tumor suppressor genes.

Several cancer family syndromes have been found in which inherited DNA mutations cause a very high risk of developing certain cancers. In some of these, there is an increased risk of getting pancreatic cancer. Researchers have characterized many of these DNA changes in the past few years. Most often, DNA mutations of oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes related to cancers of the pancreas occur after you are born, rather than having been inherited. These acquired mutations may result from cancer-causing drugs or chemicals in our environment. 

Pancreatic Cancer Detection: Understanding and Identifying Symptoms of Pancreatic Cancer Can Be Important In Early Detection and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer Resulting in Higher Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rates

- See more at: http://www.texaslawyers.com/coomer/pancreaticcancerlawyer.htm#sthash.bkJXZsQn.dpuf

For more information on causes of pancreatic cancer and diabetic drugs, please go to the following web page:  Pancreatic Cancer Risk Health Alert.

 

Cause of Thyroid Cancer: Diabetes Drug, Radiation, and Genetic Predisposition Can Cause An Increase Risk of Thyroid Cancer by Thyroid Cancer Attorney Jason Coomer

Cause of Thyroid Cancer: The Diabetes Drug Byetta Has Been Linked To An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer by Thyroid Cancer Attorney Jason S. Coomer

Recent scientific studies have shown that the diabetes drug, Byetta, may cause an increased risk of thyroid cancer.  Persons taking Byetta should be aware of this potential thyroid cancer risk factor as well as other potential risk factors including: a family history of goiter, exposure to high levels of radiation, and certain hereditary syndromes.

Persons taking Byetta as well as their medical providers should be aware of potential thyroid cancer symptoms including:

1. Developing a lump or swelling in your neck (most common symptom).
2. Pain in your neck and sometimes in your ears.
3. Trouble swallowing.
4. Trouble breathing or have constant wheezing.
5. Voice may become hoarse.
6. A frequent cough that is not related to a cold or allergies.

Persons with multiple risk factors should make sure that their medical provider is aware of the potential risks and discuss their optimal treatment plans for early detection of thyroid cancer as well as treatment of diabetes.

Through early detection of thyroid cancer, most people are able to seek treatment for thyroid cancer and prevent the cancer from spreading.  For more information on this topic, please read go to Byetta Cancer Law: An Informational Website About Byetta, Cancer, and the Law.  

The Thyroid Secretes Hormones Influencing Metabolism, Development, and Temperature

"The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits low on the front of the neck. Your thyroid lies below your Adam’s apple, along the front of the windpipe. The thyroid has two side lobes, connected by a bridge (isthmus) in the middle. When the thyroid is its normal size, you can’t feel it.
Brownish-red in color, the thyroid is rich with blood vessels. Nerves important for voice quality also pass through the thyroid." WebMD

"The thyroid secretes several hormones, collectively called thyroid hormones. The main hormone is thyroxine, also called T4. Thyroid hormones act throughout the body, influencing metabolism, growth and development, and body temperature. During infancy and childhood, adequate thyroid hormone is crucial for brain development." WebMD

 

Texas VA Medical Mistake Lawyer: Reporting VA Medical Mistakes Helps Protect Military and Their Families From Careless Medical Providers and Negligent Procedures That Can Injure or Kill By Texas VA Medical Mistake Lawyer

VA Medical Mistake Lawyer: Reporting Negligence in Military Hospitals Helps Protect Our Military and Their Families From Careless Medical Providers and Negligent Procedures That Injure and Kill People by Texas VA Medical Mistake Lawyer

Medical mistakes that happen when no one is watching and that are not reported can often be repeated.  When these medical mistakes cause serious injury, birth injuries, or death, it is important that the injured person or their family step up and file a VA Medical Mistake lawsuit.  The filing of a VA medical mistake claim under the Federal Torts Claim Act can often expose careless doctors, negligent nurses, and other medical providers who are hurting and killing people.   

For information on a Texas VA Medical Mistake Lawsuit or other VA Medical Mistake Lawsuit, please feel to contact Texas Military Doctor Medical Malpractice Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer or go to the following web pages: Military Medical Malpractice Birth Injury Lawsuit Information, VA Military Medical Malpractice FTCA Lawsuit Information, or Medical Mistake Infant Death, Birth Injury, and Birth Defect Lawsuit Information.

 Designation of a Medical Advocate or a Health Care Decision Maker During a Hospital Stay and Effective Communication with Military Health Care Providers Can Help Prevent Some VA Medical Mistakes

It is extremely important when you are in the hospital to have someone that is with you to help watch out for your well being.  This is especially true if you have an allergy to certain types of medicines, are going to be unconscious or under anesthesia, or on strong pain killers.  In such situations, it is typically a good idea to have a person that you trust to be your health care decision maker with a valid HIPPA Authorization, Medical Power of Attorney, Power of Attorney, and other necessary documents.  

Veterans have a right to express their preferences about future medical care in an advance directive. This includes the right to name a health care agent who will make health care decisions on their behalf if they can no longer communicate for themselves. We will respect these preferences.

If you are asked to make health care decisions for a Veteran in VHA, the treatment team will offer you: 

• Treatment options based on the Veteran's unique medical circumstances and needs.
• Information you can understand about the benefits and risks of these treatment options.

A health care decision maker generally has the same rights and responsibilities as the Veteran would have in making treatment decisions.

• A health care decision maker may agree to or refuse any treatment option offered by the treatment team. Refusing treatment will not affect the Veteran's right to future care.
• A health care decision maker's decision about whether to accept or refuse treatments must be based on what the health care decision maker knows the Veteran would want. If the health care decision maker does not know what the Veteran would want, the treatment team is available to help consider what decisions are in the Veteran's best interest.

Overall, communication with your health care professionals is important and can greatly limit medical mistakes.

Diabetes and Thyroid Cancer: Byetta and other Diabetes Medications May Cause An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer by Texas Diabetes Thyroid Cancer Lawyer

Diabetes and Thyroid Cancer: Byetta and Other Diabetes Medications May Cause An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer by Texas Byetta Diabetes Thyroid Cancer Lawyer

More than 200,000 people were newly diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2012.  Recent scientific studies have shown that some of these people may have gotten thyroid cancer from taking a diabetes drug.  One such diabetes drug is Byetta.  Recent studies have shown that Byetta increases the risk of thyroid cancer.  Further, many lawsuits are currently being filed alleging that the maker of Byetta failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers and the medical community regarding this risk of thyroid cancer.

If you or a loved one has taken Byetta and has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer or pancreatic cancer, please feel free to contact Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawyer, Byetta Cancer Lawyer, and Byetta Pancreatic Cancer Lawyer Jason Coomer.

Thyroid Cancer Information and Thyroid Cancer Symptoms

Thyroid cancer occurs in the cells of the thyroid.  The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer. It is a malignant tumor or growth originating within the thyroid gland, also called thyroid carcinoma.

The prognosis for any individual with thyroid cancer depends on several factors. These include the type of thyroid cancer, the tumor size, whether the disease has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body (especially distant sites), and the patients’ age at the time of diagnosis. Thyroid cancer is usually highly treatable when found early and is usually painless and without symptoms in its early stages. Unless there is an obvious neck mass that can be seen, most nodules are detected by chance during a routine physical examination or during a doctor visit for an unrelated purpose.

Some thyroid cancer symptoms include:

•     Hoarseness that has no known cause and does not go away
•     Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
•     Difficulty swallowing or an unusual sensation (a “lump”) when swallowing
•     Nodule (lump) or growth in the neck
•     An abnormally large lymph node (a “swollen gland”) that fails to spontaneously shrink over a few months' time

Texas Prompt Pay Act Offers Help to Medical Providers Against Health Insurance Companies That Delay and Deny Payments by Texas Prompt Payment Act Lawyer

Texas Medical Providers Are Owed Approximately $8 Billion by Health Insurance Companies: Texas Prompt Pay Act Offers Help to Medical Providers Against Health Insurance Companies That Delay and Deny Payments for Clean Claims by Texas Prompt Payment Act Lawyer Jason Coomer

It is estimated that insurance companies have wrongfully denied and delay payments of approximately $8 Billion dollars to Texas Medical Providers.  These delayed and denied payments have allowed some insurance companies to make large profits at the expense of hard working medical providers.  In response to these unethical insurance practices, Texas has enacted the Texas Prompt Payment Act that allows medical providers including hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, and physicians to seek payments, attorney's fees, and penalties from insurance companies that wrongfully deny and delay payments.

Texas Lawyers Are Seeking Prompt Payment From Insurance Carriers For Medical Providers

Insurance carriers that violate Texas prompt pay laws and miss the deadlines for paying or responding to health care provider claims may be held liable for penalties for being late.  For hospitals and physicians, the late penalties can begin within 45 days of receipt of a clean claim submitted non-electronically and within 30 days of receipt of a claim submitted electronically.  For pharmacies, the late penalties can begin within 18 days of electronically submitted bills.

The penalties for late payments include a fifty percent (50%) penalty of the difference between the provider's billed rate versus its contracted rate if the payment is 1 to 45 days late and a one-hundred percent (100%) penalty of the difference if the payment is 46 to 90 days late.  There are also provisions that allow an eighteen percent 18% late fee and attorneys fees to be collected on any late-paid bill. 

Texas Prompt Payment Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer, is a Texas business litigation lawyer that works with other powerful business litigation lawyers to represent medical providers in seeking prompt payments from insurance companies.  For more information on this topic, please contact Texas Prompt Payment Medical Provider Lawyer Jason Coomer via e-mail or go to the following web page: Texas Prompt Payment for Medical Providers.

Diabetic Thyroid Cancer Health Risk Alert: Byetta Has Recently Been Linked To An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer By Diabetic Thyroid Cancer Lawyer

Diabetic Thyroid Cancer Health Risk Alert: Some Diabetes Drugs Have Recently Been Linked To An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer By Diabetic Thyroid Cancer Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

In 2012, more than 200,000 people were newly diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  A growing number of people with thyroid cancer are diabetics.  While some diabetic drugs are known to cause an increased risk of thyroid cancer and this increased risk is on the warning label, other diabetic drugs do not have warnings regarding an increased risk of thyroid cancer.  

The diabetes drug, Byetta, currently does not have a warning regarding an increased risk of thyroid cancer, however, some recent studies have suggested that the diabetes drug, Byetta, increases the risk of thyroid cancer.  As such, several Byetta Thyroid Cancer lawsuits are currently being reviewed that allege that the maker of Byetta has failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers and the medical community of this cancer risk resulting in serious injury and death from thyroid cancer.

Individuals that have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and have taken Byetta as well as families that have lost a loved one to thyroid cancer and that loved one was taking Byetta may be entitled to financial compensation and are strongly encouraged to have their potential case reviewed.  For more information on Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawsuits, please feel free to contact Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawyer, Jason Coomer, or use our online submission form.

FDA Adverse Events Have Shown Byetta May Cause An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer: Persons Taking Byetta That Have Been Diagnosed With Pancreatic Cancer or Thyroid Cancer as well as Their Doctors and Families Are Encouraged To Report Adverse Events To The FDA

 
In July 2011, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles studied the connection between Byetta and pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, and thyroid cancer by combing FDA adverse events reports. They calculated a sixfold increase in users developing pancreatitis, and Byetta increased the likelihood of pancreatic cancer by 2.9 times. The lead researcher, Dr. Peter Butler, cautioned that the results do not account for increased Byetta side effects reporting by doctors. The study appeared in the journal of Gastroenterology. 
 

In 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a Drug Safety Communication to announce that drug-makers Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly Co. must conduct 6 post-marketing surveillance studies to better understand the potential link between Byetta and thyroid cancer. The result of these studies are still pending.

Persons who are taking Byetta and who have been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer or thyroid cancer and their families are strongly encouraged to report adverse events to the FDA to ensure that all cancer risks are properly reviewed and placed on any future Byetta warnings.
 

Byetta Thyroid Cancer Alert: Recent Studies Have Connected Byetta To An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer by Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawyer

Byetta Thyroid Cancer Alert and Byetta Pancreatic Cancer Alert: Recent Scientific Studies Have Connected Byetta To An Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer and Pancreatic Cancer by Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawyer and Byetta Pancreatic Cancer Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Persons taking the injectable diabetes drug, Byetta (Exenatide), should be aware that this diabetes drug may cause an increased risk of thyroid cancer as well as pancreatic cancer.  It is important for any person taking the drug, Byetta, to communicate with their physician to determine the best course of treatment for their diabetes and to make sure that they are aware of any potential cancer symptoms if they continue to take the drug.

If you are taking Byetta and have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer or pancreatic cancer, please feel free to contact Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawyer and Byetta Pancreatic Cancer Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer about a potential lawsuit. 

Byetta (Exenatide) Has Been Used By Millions of People 

Byetta was the first glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist to be approved by the FDA for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Byetta exhibits many of the same effects as the human incretin hormone GLP-1. GLP-1 improves blood sugar after food intake through multiple effects that work in concert on the stomach, liver, pancreas and brain.  Byetta was approved in the U.S. in April 2005 and in Europe in November 2006 and has been used by more than 1.8 million patients since its introduction. Nearly 7 million prescriptions for Byetta were dispensed between April 2005 and September 2008.  In 2010 Byetta sales were over $500 million.  

The Diabetes Drug Market is Over $40 Billion Each Year and Growing Rapidly Byetta had Annual Sale of Over $500 Million in 2010

More than 300 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes and this number is increasing each year.  This number includes about 26 million Americans who are diabetics.  The global market for products in the management of diabetes currently stands at $41 billion and is on pace to grow to over $114 billion by 2018.


With this huge market for diabetic drugs, many drug producers are pushing drugs with known dangers and are attempting to hide the potential dangers of their drugs to keep or obtain a higher market share.  As such, it is important that persons that have developed cancer from specific drugs or families that have lost loved ones from specific drugs step forward and report dangerous drugs to the FDA as well as file lawsuits to make selling dangerous less profitable.

For more information on potentially dangerous drugs, please go to the following web pages: Byetta Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuits and Byetta Thyroid Cancer Lawsuits and Diabetic Drug Pancreatic Cancer Lawsuits.

Report Hospital Billing Fraud and Collect Large Financial Rewards: Medical Professionals That Properly Report Hospital Billing Fraud Can Collect Large Financial Rewards By Hospital Billing Fraud Lawyer

Report Hospital Billing Fraud and Collect Large Financial Rewards: Medical Professionals That Properly Report Hospital Billing Fraud Can Collect Large Financial Rewards By Hospital Billing Fraud Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Hospital billing fraud includes upcoding, false coding, false certifications, double billing, phantom patients, unbundling, and illegal kickbacks.  These forms of billing fraud are costing the government billions of dollars and can be the basis of qui tam whistleblower reward lawsuits that offer large financial rewards to medical professions including hospital administrators and other hospital employees that properly expose significant hospital billing fraud.   

For more information on properly reporting hospital billing fraud and having a potential hospital billing fraud case confidentially reviewed, please feel free to contact Hospital Billing Fraud Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer, via e-mail message or go to the following webpage: Report Hospital Billing Fraud and Whistleblower Reward Lawsuit.  

Being the First to File on a Hospital Billing Fraud Scheme is Essential for Recovery Under the False Claims Act

It is essential to not delay in coming forward with a Hospital Billing Fraud Qui Tam Whistleblower Action as the first whistleblower to file is eligible to be a relator and can make a large recovery for exposing the fraud.  Additionally, when the fraudulent scheme is exposed, the people that kept the fraud secret can sometimes be found liable for criminal activity for not exposing the fraud that was being committed.

Hospital Billing Fraud Whistleblower Lawsuits Include Upcoding Qui Tam Whistleblower Lawsuits and Coding Fraud Whistleblower Lawsuits

Upcoding occurs when a medical service provider intentionally and fraudulently upcodes services to obtain a higher reimbursement than one that is entitled to for the service that was actually provided.  In both the Medicare and Medicaid systems a set of billing codes is used by healthcare providers to bill for services. These codes are known as the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS). A service provider that intentionally uses a higher paying code to fraudulently reflect that a more expensive procedure or device was involved in the patient’s treatment than actually was used or was necessary.  A pattern of intentional upcoding treatment can result in large profits for the healthcare provider, but also cost taxpayers millions of dollars.

Upcoding fraud is typically hard to catch without the help of persons with inside information because that Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes are billed electronically and can easily slip through the system.  Therefore unless the upcoding is caught through a random audit (approximately 2% of the claims per year are audited), it is up to insiders, informants, heroes, and health care professionals to catch fraudulent upcoding.

Another type of coding fraud is “unbundling”, where bundled related procedures or composite lab tests are run together, but billed separately by the lab or healthcare provider to obtain more compensation.  These types of billing fraud also allow healthcare providers and labs to make higher profits by bilking Medicare, Medicaid, and taxpayers out of millions of dollars.  These unbundling fraud schemes are also hard to detect without someone that is familiar with the codes and billing.

Hospital Billing Fraud and Other Forms of Health Care Fraud Are Costing The United States and U.S. Taxpayers About $100 Billion Each Year

Law enforcement authorities estimate that health-care fraud costs taxpayers about $100 billion each year.  Through Health Care Fraud Qui Tam Lawsuits billions of dollars have been recovered from individuals and organizations that have committed health care fraud on the United States Government and State Governments. 

HEALTH CARE FRAUD CASE NETS RECOVERY OF $1.7 BILLION 

HCA Inc. (formerly known as Columbia/HCA and HCA - The Healthcare Company) and HCA subsidiaries agreed to pay the United States over $1.7 Billion including $631 million in 2003 for civil penalties and damages arising from false claims the government alleged it submitted to Medicare and other federal health programs. In 2000, HCA subsidiaries pled guilty to substantial criminal conduct and paid more than $840 million in criminal fines, civil restitution and penalties.  HCA will paid an additional $250 million to resolve overpayment claims arising from certain of its cost reporting practices.  In total, the government will have recovered $1.7 billion from HCA.

This Qui Tam settlement resolved fraud allegations against HCA and HCA hospitals in nine False Claims Act qui tam or whistleblower lawsuits pending in federal court in the District of Columbia. Under the federal False Claims Act, private individuals may file suit on behalf of the United States and, if the case is successful, may recover a share of the proceeds for their efforts. Under the HCA settlement, the whistleblowers will receive a combined share of $151,591,500.00.

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2003/June/03_civ_386.htm