We rely on nurses and healthcare workers to keep patients safe; it’s imperative to protect them when they report dangerous staffing levels or hospital conditions. Starting this year, California will chargeimpose higher penalties toon health facilities that discriminate or retaliate against whistleblowers who report issues that affect patient care, services or hospital conditions. Existing state law forbids health facilities from discriminating or retaliating against patients, employees, … [Read more...]
Three reasons competitors (and other outsiders) can make great whistleblowers
When most people think of whistleblowers they probably picture “insiders” at companies that cheat the government. Indeed, the federal False Claims Act, a key whistleblower law, requires that information or evidence of fraud, waste or abuse come from an “original source.” But there’s no requirement that the original source be someone inside the company. Outsiders with the right information can blow the whistle, too. Indeed, in some situations, the best whistleblowers may be a law breaker's … [Read more...]
Attorney General Nominee Affirms Commitment to Fighting Fraud
In confirmation hearings this week, the Trump administration's nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, vowed this week that he would use his position as America's "top cop" to continue to fight fraud against taxpayers. "[T]his government must improve its ability to protect the United States Treasury from waste, fraud, and abuse," Sessions told the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. "We cannot afford to lose a single dollar to corruption and you can be sure that if I am confirmed, I will … [Read more...]
Whistleblowers Stop Nursing Home Fraud and Patient Harm – With help from the False Claims Act
Healthcare fraud puts patients’ lives at risk and costs billions of dollars every year. Nursing homes, which house vulnerable patients away from loved ones and the outside world, are especially fertile breeding grounds for healthcare fraud schemes. While government agencies have stepped up their enforcement efforts, nursing home workers who witness fraud are in the best position to put it to a stop—and thanks to federal and state whistleblower laws like the False Claims Act, a single principled … [Read more...]
The Dangers of Social Media for Whistleblowers
Being a whistleblower can be a lonely pursuit. You uncover wrongdoing by your employer. You report what you found to your supervisor. He tells you to ignore it and go back to doing your job. But you can’t. You’ve discovered that your employer has defrauded the U.S. government out of millions of dollars. You know that ignoring it isn’t the right thing to do. You’re just not sure what your next step should be. You talk to your spouse. You ask your best friend for advice. They support you but … [Read more...]