Last Updated: April 25, 2025By

The Challenge of Healthcare and Life Sciences Fraud

Fraud occurs when someone deliberately deceives others for financial gain or to deprive victims of their rights. Healthcare fraud and abuse costs an estimated $60 billion annually. Fraud involves intentional deception for financial benefit, while abuse encompasses practices that may not be fraudulent but violate professional standards or waste resources, such as performing unnecessary procedures.

With decades of fraud investigation experience, our team is exceptionally qualified to handle matters involving criminal, civil, qui tam, administrative enforcement, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations. We combine investigative expertise, regulatory knowledge, and insights from professionals with extensive private and public sector experience. Common examples of healthcare fraud include:

  • Providing unnecessary services that are not medically necessary or meeting professionally recognized standards of care.

  • Overcharging, improper coding, and billing for services or procedures at inflated rates or misusing billing codes.

  • Billing for services that were not medically necessary.

  • Paying kickbacks to providers for patient referrals or influencing medical decisions.

Detecting and preventing strategies can help reduce cost and mitigate losses

Healthcare fraud and abuse wastes taxpayer money, drives up healthcare costs, and potentially harms patients through unnecessary or substandard care. Healthcare organizations must comply with numerous regulatory requirements, including:

  • False Claims Act (FCA): The FCA imposes liability on those who defraud governmental programs.

  • Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS): The AKS prohibits financial payments or incentives for referring patients or generating federal healthcare business.

  • Physician Self-Referral Law: Also called the Stark Law, this set of regulations prohibits healthcare providers from gaining financially by referring patients for health services payable by Medicare or Medicaid.