Are you a nurse whose facility is understaffed, short on care, or billing the government as if it were meeting standards?
When a facility certifies that it meets state and federal standards, and gets paid by Medicaid or Medicare on that basis, false certification can violate the False Claims Act. Nurses are often the first to know. They can bring a case and receive a share of the recovery.
CASE EXAMPLE: ST. MARGARET’S CENTER, $1.3 MILLION
Amanda Hodge and Jennifer Minshell, nurses at St. Margaret’s Center, a pediatric skilled nursing facility in Albany, New York, filed a False Claims Act case through Jeff Newman Law in January 2022. The investigation found that from 2018 through 2023 the facility falsely certified that it met nursing home standards. Findings included inadequate staffing, a state inspection finding that three children were not supervised, residents who did not receive appropriate respiratory care, and medication errors. St. Margaret’s agreed to pay $1.3 million to Medicaid and to five years of monitoring by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
SIGNS TO WATCH FOR
– Staffing is far below what the facility reports.
– Residents miss required care.
– Management ignores your reports.
Q&A
Does it matter that my concern is patient safety rather than financial gain? No. In this case the whistleblowers came forward to protect their patients.
What protections will I have from retaliation? Federal law prohibits retaliation for reporting fraud.
How are legal fees structured? There is no fee unless we win.
Call 617-823-3217 for a free, confidential consultation.
