FY 2016 False Claims Act Recoveries: Government Enforcement Remains Lucrative and a Continued Source of Risk for Health Care Entities—But Will This Change in a Trump Administration?

The federal government continues to secure significant recoveries through settlements and court awards related to its enforcement of the False Claims Act (FCA), particularly resulting from actions brought by qui tam relators. In fiscal year (FY) 2016, the federal government reported that it recovered $2.5 billion from the health care industry. Of that $2.5 billion, $1.2 billion was recovered from the drug and medical device industry.  Another $360 million was recovered from hospitals and outpatient clinics.

Government Intervention Drives Recoveries

The FY 2016 FCA statistics reflect that more than 97% of the recoveries from qui tam cases resulted from matters in which the government elected to intervene and pursue directly. Government intervention remains a real danger to health care entities.

However, more than 80% of new FCA matters were filed by qui tam relators; relator share awards reached almost $520 million in FY 2016. The financial incentives to pursue these matters are significant and well recognized; last year, the number of new qui tam FCA cases was the second highest since 1987.

Enforcement Climate Became Worse for Individuals in FY 2016—and Will Likely Continue

The government's focus on individual liability, as reflected in the "Yates Memo," is expected to continue. This focus on individual accountability has recently resulted in substantial FCA recoveries from physicians, a former hospital CEO, a nursing home CFO, and even the Chair of a board of directors.[1]  On the administrative side, such focus has resulted in the 20-year exclusion of a physician specializing in urogynecology whom the government alleged billed for services not performed or not medically necessary. Indeed, this focus continues: just last week, the government filed a FCA complaint against a mental health and substance abuse clinic and its owner in his individual capacity.

Regulatory Changes in 2016 Created More Financial Exposure

The monetary exposure faced by health care industry participants under the FCA is increasing. In June, the Department of Justice released an interim final rule increasing the minimum per-claim penalty under Section 3729(a)(1) of the FCA from $5,500 to $10,781 and increasing the maximum per-claim penalty from $11,000 to $21,563.

The Government's Use of Technology

The use of technology has markedly enhanced the government's recovery efforts. Federal and state governments, along with some commercial insurers, are investing in the use of predictive analytics that can analyze large volumes of health care data to identify fraud, waste, and abuse. Notably, the government reportedly enjoyed an $11.60 return for each dollar it spent on its investment in these technologies in 2015.  The use of such technology is expected to continue under the new administration.

The Risk of Enforcement Is Real

The FY 2016 FCA statistics reflect the government's belief that devoting time and resources to FCA cases makes "good business sense." This realization is very unlikely to change. Health care entities—as well as individuals—must be alert to potential violations and have strong compliance functions to deal with compliance-related matters in a way that prevents claims and litigation.

Enforcement in a Trump Administration and Opportunities to Reshape the Landscape

Enthusiasm for efforts to curb fraud, waste, and abuse is bipartisan. As a result, government enforcement is likely to stay on its present course with the incoming administration, in good part due to the high return on investment in government fraud investigations and no public policy outcry to reduce such enforcement efforts.

While the growth of the federal government's investment in enforcement efforts might slow due to both the anticipated federal worker hiring freeze and President-elect Trump's pledge to reduce regulations, health care entities should not ignore the real risk that they face in this area.

A new administration, however, may bring opportunities to reshape part of the enforcement landscape. President-elect Trump promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act ("ACA"). Included within the ACA were several provisions that made it easier for qui tam relators to bring FCA cases.[2] While it is likely that such provisions—which plainly benefit the government—would be pressed for exemption from any repeal, this does present the potential for legislative changes beneficial to potential FCA defendants. Additionally, given the real likelihood of multiple U.S. Supreme Court appointments, along with the need to fill the more than 100 current federal district court vacancies, more legal challenges to efforts to expand the reach of the FCA can be anticipated.

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[1] See Press Release, Department of Justice, North American Health Care Inc. to Pay $28.5 Million to Settle Claims for Medically Unnecessary Rehabilitation Therapy Services (Sept. 19, 2016), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/north-american-health-care-inc-pay-285-million-settle-claims-medically-unnecessary; Press Release, Department of Justice, Former Chief Executive of South Carolina Hospital Pays $1 Million and Agrees to Exclusion to Settle Claims Related to Illegal Payments to Referring Physicians (Sept. 27, 2016), https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-chief-executive-south-carolina-hospital-pays-1-million-and-agrees-exclusion-settle.

[2] The ACA impacted the FCA by narrowing the Public Disclosure Bar (31 U.S.C. § 3730(e)(4)(A)), expanding the scope of the "original source" exception for the Public Disclosure Bar (31 U.S.C. § 3730(e)(4)(B)), relaxing intent requirement for violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(h)), and providing that claims resulting from Anti-Kickback Statute violations would also be considered false claims (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(g)).