'Harsh' Florida Medicare Fraud Verdict of $1.2 Million Upheld

A Florida oncology practice lost its appeal to a jury’s finding that it falsified Medicare reimbursement claims, with the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday upholding the nearly $1.2 million damages and penalties whistleblower award.

The appeals court held for the first time that the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition against excessive awards applies to those given in False Claims Act cases that the government doesn’t litigate.

For about one year Pinellas Hematology & Oncology lacked the proper Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certificate to test blood samples at one of its Saint Petersburg locations. Billing manager Michele Yates filed a whistleblower suit alleging Pinellas ...