There are numerous laws that regulate the medical profession. Two significant such laws are the Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) [42 U.S.C. § 1395nn] and the Anti-Kickback Statute [42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)]. These federal laws, and their state-level equivalents, are designed to protect the public and the government against numerous conflicts of interest that can arise in the medical field. As professionals in the medical field, in the natural course of your carrying out your duties, it is possible that you may observe violations of these laws by either your employer or other individual colleagues. In such instances, under the False Claims Act, you may choose to come forward as a whistleblower.

The False Claims Act (FCA) [31 U.S.C. §§ 3729 - 3733] prohibits anyone from knowingly submitting false claims for payment of government funds, and allows private individuals with knowledge of such false claims to bring suit on behalf of the government. This is known as a qui tam action. The private individual blowing the whistle is called the relator, and along with relator's counsel, can initiate suit under seal. The government will then undergo a process of investigating the allegations. If the government believes in the case strongly enough, it may choose to intervene and prosecute the case itself; otherwise, if the government declines, the relator then may choose to continue prosecuting the case themselves. Either way, if the case is successful, the relator will share in a portion of the award recovered for the government.

At the Mayer Law Firm, we represent relators who witness legal violations in the medical field. We are prepared to carefully evaluate the relator's claim and explain the ramifications of potentially becoming a whistleblower. If the relator decides to move forward, we will vigorously represent them and guide them throughout the process. If you believe you have witnessed legal violations in the medical field that involve false claims, please feel free to contact Mayer Law Firm for a free consultation.