Roderick Thomas Comments on Increased Enforcement Against Improper Health Care Payments

Roderick Thomas, chair of Wiley Rein’s White Collar Defense Practice, was interviewed by ModernHealthcare.com for a story on the government’s changing attitude toward illegal payments to physicians and health care providers. 

The article reported that “the federal government's focus on waste in healthcare spending has never been more intense, owing to the growing cost pressures and concern over Medicare's future. Insiders in the enforcement and legal defense communities in healthcare say there’s reason to expect the scrutiny will trickle down to individual physicians and other providers, though such cases are often tough to prove in court.”

“Even though there have been a lot of high-profile prosecutions and other civil and criminal agreements with companies, the physicians or providers absolutely should not be lulled into believing that they are not targets,” said Mr. Thomas. “It is critically important that physicians have a strong compliance program.”

As a result of the increase in enforcement, the article noted that hospitals have begun to monitor physicians’ financial relationships through reporting programs that require disclosures of compensation from health care manufacturers.