Increased health care fraud prosecutions
In 1996 the federal government increased its focus and dedicated more resources to health care fraud prosecutions with the enactment of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). It is the same year that Deborah began her career as a federal prosecutor in South Carolina. She was responsible for bringing claims on behalf of the government under the False Claims Act and for investigating and deciding whether to prosecute qui tam actions for the government. The cases involved hospitals, doctors, nurses, dentists, chiropractors, pharmacists, durable medical equipment suppliers, hospice companies, and nursing homes.
For 15 years in both the civil and criminal arenas, she worked on high profile investigations side by side with agents of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the State Medicaid Fraud Unit. As a result, Deborah has intimate knowledge about how these investigations are conducted, what tools are used by investigators, how grand juries are used, how to respond to subpoenas, how evidence is collected, and how the government builds its case.
Criminal & Civil Charges
Barbier is experienced with the following kinds of health care matters:
- Medicaid Fraud
- Medicare Fraud
- Social Security Fraud
- Insurance Fraud
- Over Billing
- Improper Billing
- False Medical Claims
- Improper Coding Practices
- Claims Adjudication Fraud
- Accepting Kickbacks
- Stark Violations
The Importance of Seeking Legal Advice Early
You may be the target of an investigation or you may be a subject or a witness. If you say something that contradicts what someone else has told them and investigators determine that it is false – not only could you be charged with a crime – but what you say could be used against you later at trial. The stakes are very high in these types of prosecutions – you could be prosecuted on criminal charges, sued on the civil claims, and later excluded from participating in government funded healthcare programs. Since 2009, the Civil Division of the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney’s Offices have collected $6.3 billion dollars in health care fraud settlements and judgments for federal and state healthcare programs. You don’t want to contribute to their statistics next year. Don’t wait to get experienced representation.
If you or your company is being investigated or charged with healthcare fraud, Barbier is the healthcare fraud attorney you need. She will work with investigators, accountants, and forensic specialists, to meticulously analyze the government’s case. Barbier will evaluate your case and determine the best legal options available to you.
