Healthcare Criminal Defense Attorney Serving Los Angeles and Throughout California
Los Angeles Healthcare Lawyer Providing Stellar Defense to Criminal and Regulatory Investigations for California Healthcare Entities
Healthcare practices are subject to more laws and regulations than businesses in just about any industry. Medical professionals are often dealing with complex, if not outright conflicting duties, regulations, and professional concerns. Complying with all applicable rules, regulations, and laws can feel like a full-time job in and of itself.
Unfortunately, the risk of non-compliance is severe. Medical practices and professionals risk not only civil fines and awards, but full criminal prosecution for conduct that might be attributed to mere oversight. If you’ve been accused of any regulatory violation or criminal act, you need a zealous healthcare criminal defense team in your corner.
At the Law Offices of Art Kalantar, our healthcare criminal defense attorney has an extensive background in intricate legalities and complicated investigations. We are highly skilled at dealing with the alphabet soup of state and federal agencies to which healthcare professionals must report. We have decades of experience dealing with oversight, regulations, and criminal prohibitions built into California state law as well as federal Medicare, DEA, FDA, HIPAA and other sources.
Anti-Kickback & Stark Laws
The federal Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Laws prohibit medical professionals from receiving any kind of payment in exchange for recommending certain drugs, procedures, or services. Even being paid for patient referrals can be charged as illegal bribery. A seasoned anti-kickback defense attorney can help you avoid criminal allegations for standard professional conduct.
Billing Fraud Defense
Billing fraud is one of the most common charges in healthcare criminal prosecutions. Any type of billing action that leads to charging a payer more than they should have been charged can rise to the level of a regulatory or criminal offense under the wrong circumstances. A simple mistake should not be treated as a crime. A seasoned billing fraud defense attorney can help you institute policies and procedures to ensure your billing practices are thorough, accurate, and free from chargeable errors.
Coding Error Defense
Coding errors can be charged as a form of billing fraud, which, in turn, can be punished under the False Claims Act and other anti-fraud laws. Incorrect coding, upcoding, unbundling, double-billing, charging for unnecessary or never-performed services, and other inaccurate coding practices can lead to severe civil penalties and, under the worst circumstances, criminal charges. Enforcing accurate, thorough coding practices can help you avoid unnecessary regulatory and criminal attention.
COVID-19 Relief Fraud Defense
State and federal governments instituted a number of programs to help struggling businesses through the financial challenges caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has aggressively prosecuted any businesses thought to be abusing the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program, or other COVID-19 relief funds. If you or your practice is under state or federal investigation for alleged abuse of the coronavirus relief programs, talk to an experienced healthcare relief fraud defense lawyer.
DEA Investigations
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is one of the principal agencies enforcing healthcare laws and policies against medical practices. If you’re facing a DEA audit or investigation, you need to protect yourself and your practice with help from an experienced DEA defense attorney. Even a routine audit can turn into criminal prosecution if the response to the investigation is handled poorly, or if hidden wrongful conduct is discovered.
Durable Medical Equipment Fraud Defense
Durable medical equipment (DME) fraud has become a hot-button issue in recent years. If you distribute or prescribe DME such as wheelchairs, orthotics, crutches, or oxygen equipment and you’ve been accused of over-prescribing or otherwise abusing the system, talk to a knowledgeable DME fraud defense attorney for advice and assistance.
False Claims Act Defense
The False Claims Act (FCA) is one of the government’s most powerful tools for enforcing healthcare laws and regulations. Virtually any form of healthcare law misconduct, if targeted at the government, can be prosecuted under the FCA. To protect your practice against massive fines, professional sanctions, and other serious penalties, discuss any questions or concerns you may have with a seasoned FCA defense lawyer.
Falsifying Medical Records Defense
Medical records are treated as legal documents. Improperly altering or falsifying medical documents is punishable by civil penalties and even criminal prosecution, depending upon the nature of the conduct.
Fraud & Abuse Defense
Healthcare fraud and abuse is a major concern industry-wide. Regulatory agencies and prosecutors are more than happy to throw the book at a practice seen as abusing patients, private insurers, or government payers. Whether you’re under investigation for providing unnecessary services, money laundering, nepotism, anti-kickback violations, fraud, or other wrongdoing, you need to present a thorough, solid defense to avoid the worst consequences. For help conducting internal audits and defending against agency investigations, call a dedicated California healthcare fraud and abuse defense lawyer.
Home Healthcare Fraud Defense
Regulators and lawmakers are especially concerned with home healthcare services. Myriad federal and state agencies have engaged in a concerted effort to crack down on any fraudulent or abusive conduct targeted at the elderly or other vulnerable parties receiving home care. If you’re under investigation for possible home healthcare fraud, call a zealous home health fraud defense attorney today to defend your practice, your license, your reputation, and even your freedom.
Medicare Fraud Defense
Any healthcare fraud allegation presents a risk to your practice, but when the alleged victim is the government, your potential liability becomes exponentially more severe. Medicare fraud can lead to heavy fines, loss of your professional license, and incarceration. If you are under investigation for defrauding Medicare, Medi-Cal, or any other government payer, it’s vital to get an experienced healthcare defense attorney in your corner as soon as possible.
Qui Tam Defense
The False Claims Act allows healthcare workers to pursue legal action against healthcare practices that have committed alleged fraud against the government. In a “qui tam” action, a private individual is essentially ”deputized” to sue you on behalf of the government. Even though it’s a claim brought by an individual, the consequences for your practice can be severe, including hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, if not more. Take these claims seriously and ensure you have the right qui tam defense.
Los Angeles Healthcare Criminal Defense You Can Trust
Criminal allegations can derail your practice and your professional life. Charges of billing fraud, Medicare fraud, Anti-Kickback violations, or other healthcare crimes can yield large fines, impairment to your license, removal from Medicare and Medi-Cal, and even prison time. To protect your business, your finances, and, potentially, your freedom, call a skilled healthcare criminal defense lawyer. We’ll fight to protect your practice, your reputation, and your liberty.
The Law Offices of Art Kalantar and our healthcare criminal defense legal team are ready to provide you with seasoned, comprehensive legal advice and representation for your healthcare regulatory and criminal matters in Los Angeles and throughout Southern California.
Call 310-773-0001 at any time to request a free case evaluation with the Law Offices of Art Kalantar in Beverly Hills.
