SCOTUS Wants U.S. View on Whistleblowers’ Hospice Kickback Suit

The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday that it wants the U.S. solicitor general to file a brief expressing the views of the government on whistleblowers’ claims that Bethany Hospice and Palliative Care LLC violated the False Claims Act by engaging in a kickback scheme under which it paid doctors in exchange for patient referrals.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that whistleblowers Jolie Johnson and the estate of Debbie Helmly failed to adequately allege Bethany Hospice actually billed Medicare for services.

Their petition for review filed in September argued that the whistleblowers’ firsthand knowledge of billing ...