IS THE SAYING “YOU ARE WHAT YOU BILL”?

We had always been of the opinion that the correct saying is “you are what you eat”, however, a recent False Claims Act case seems to infer that a food supply company has changed that old saying to “you are what you bill”.

A federal trial has been set for 2015 against a frozen meal delivery company that is being accused of Medicaid fraud. The complaint alleges nearly $900,000 in improper bills to Medicaid.

The company, Homestyle Direct, is accused of delivering meals to deceased clients, lying to clients about Medicaid requirements and, in some cases, delivering only desserts to the homebound clients and billing Medicaid for a full meal. Medicaid does not reimburse for desserts that don’t meet nutritional requirements.

The allegations in this case bring to the forefront the many different ways that Medicare and Medicaid can be defrauded. In this case, like so many others, the information is usually brought to the government’s attention by an individual with direct knowledge referred to as a “whistleblower”.

The federal False Claims Act, like many state False Claims Acts, provide rewards to the whistleblower for providing information to the federal or state government. The reward can range between 15% and 30% depending on the quality of the information.

If you or someone you know has witnessed fraud against the state or federal government, you should contact a qualified whistleblower attorney.