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[IN] HEA HIN
[SU] LAW
TO BUSINESS, AND LEGAL AFFAIRS EDITORS:
The Employment Law Group@ Law Firm Helps Two Whistleblowers to Win
Settlement of Fraud Case Against DC-Area Physical-Therapy Clinics
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Two local companies that
operate a network of physical-therapy clinics, along with two
individual owners and a former manager, agreed to repay $2.8 million
to settle claims that they defrauded federal health-insurance
programs.
The Employment Law Group @ law firm represented Kathya Angel and
Alexis Natal, the whistleblowers who first brought the allegations to
light. Ms. Angel and Ms. Natal will share a combined 16 percent of the
government settlement for their role in the case.
The U.S. Department of Justice last week announced details of its deal
with Alliance Rehabilitation LLC and Active Physical Therapy Services
LLC, both incorporated in Maryland, and individually with Thomas Bray
and Rajeev Gupta, owners and managers of both companies, and Geeta
Trehan, who worked for Alliance and Active.
Alliance operates physical-therapy clinics in Washington and Northern
Virginia, while Active operates clinics in Maryland. None of the
defendants admitted any wrongdoing.
The defendants also reached a separate, confidential settlement with
Ms. Angel and Ms. Natal, two former clinic employees who were fired
after protesting the alleged fraud.
"Kathya and Alexis have shown immense courage and perseverance, and as
a result U.S. taxpayers will recover millions of dollars," said David
L. Scher, a principal of The Employment Law Group and lead attorney on
the case. "Both women could have looked the other way, but instead
they did the right thing -- and were fired. Their three-year campaign
for justice, for themselves and for their fellow citizens, deserves
recognition and honor."
Ms. Angel and Ms. Natal, who worked for the defendants as a medical
biller and medical assistant respectively, blew the whistle on their
former employers in late 2010 by filing a complaint under the federal
False Claims Act. That statute, originally signed into law by
President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, makes it illegal to deceive the
federal government for financial gain.
The law includes a "qui tam" provision that allows whistleblowers to
file a legal complaint on behalf of the government and -- if they
prevail -- to receive a share of the proceeds.
Among other things, Ms. Angel and Ms. Natal alleged in their qui tam
complaint that the defendants had billed Medicare for services
supposedly performed by approved physical therapists -- even though
the therapy actually was conducted by staff members whose work was not
reimbursable by the government program.
The Justice Department later decided to intervene in the case,
endorsing some of the claims and taking charge of its own
representation. It concluded that Alliance and Active had been
submitting improper bills to Medicare and Tricare, another government
program, for more than five years starting in 2007.
The resulting settlement was negotiated by the U.S. Attorney for the
District of Columbia, Ronald C. Machen Jr., in consultation with
investigators and attorneys for Medicare and Tricare. In addition to
repaying the U.S. Treasury, the defendants signed a "Corporate
Integrity Agreement" that will govern their future practices.
"Medicare fraud doesn't just harm taxpayers; it raises medical costs
for everyone," said Mr. Scher of The Employment Law Group. "I'm proud
to have helped our clients to blow the whistle here: Kathya and Alexis
are great examples of the difference an honest person can make in the
world."
About The Employment Law Group
The Employment Law Group@ law firm represents whistleblowers and
others who stand up to wrongdoing by employers. Based in Washington,
D.C., the firm takes cases nationwide.
More information about The Employment Law Group and its attorneys is
available at http://www.EmploymentLawGroup.com.
Read more news from The Employment Law Group.
CONTACT: Kate Connors Media & Communications Strategies Email
202-449-9804
SOURCE The Employment Law Group
-0- 04/14/2014
/Web Site: http://www.employmentlawgroup.com
CO: The Employment Law Group
ST: District of Columbia
IN: HEA HIN
SU: LAW
PRN
-- PH04566 --
0000 04/14/2014 14:25:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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