What day is National Report Pharmaceutical Fraud Day celebrated? January 23
What is National Report Pharmaceutical Fraud Day? National Report Pharmaceutical Fraud Day brings awareness to the amount of Medicare Fraud by pharmaceutical companies and teaches the public how to obtain a monetary reward for reporting it. Ten percent of all Medicare funds are lost due to fraud. Because the government spends $650 billion a year on Medicare, $65 billion a year is lost to Medicare fraud. One of the largest culprits of Medicare Fraud allegations has been pharmaceutical drug companies. It’s time the public stands up and put an end to Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud. Find out how below you can get involved and help save our Medicare program and bring down healthcare costs.
Statistics for Healthcare Whistleblower Rewards
The government pays whistleblower rewards of between 15% and 25% of the funds recovered based upon a whistleblower’s allegations of pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud. Below are statistics relating to whistleblower rewards in healthcare Medicare Fraud cases.
- The largest whistleblower reward in a Healthcare Fraud case was $150 million
- The average whistleblower reward for reporting Healthcare Fraud is $688,826
- The total amount recovered in whistleblower initiated Healthcare Fraud cases is over $30 billion ($30,304,269,058)
- The total whistleblower rewards paid in Healthcare cases is nearly $5 billion ($4,943,706,903)
- The portion of all government Healthcare Fraud cases initiated by whistleblowers is 83%
Who created the day? National Report Pharmaceutical Fraud Day started in 2017. It was formed by Joel Hesch, a whistleblower attorney who spent over 15 years working in Department of Justice whistleblower reward office. While at DOJ, Mr. Hesch obtained over $1 billion in recoveries back for the government from those cheating Medicare and paid out hundred of millions in rewards to whistleblowers. Mr. Hesch was also assigned to the Pharmaceutical Fraud Task Force within the Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. One Medicare Fraud case Mr. Hesch worked on recovered $641 million and paid a whistleblower award of $100 million. Mr. Hesch formed his own law firm and now exclusively represents whistleblowers nationwide in filing for rewards for reporting fraud against the government, including pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud. To help whistleblowers properly report all types of Medicare Fraud (including pharmaceutical fraud), he authored a free e-book and created a website that explains what steps are necessary to be eligible for a whistleblower reward.
How to celebrate: Celebrate National Report Pharmaceutical Fraud Day by downloading his free e-book so that you understand the various pharmaceutical fraud schemes and the Department of Justice (DOJ) whistleblower reward program. The e-book explains the benefits and risks of reporting fraud and the various ways you can report Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud. If you have the right type of information, you can and should report Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud as outlined in the book and in the next section.
You can also celebrate National Report Pharmaceutical Fraud Day by sharing this web page with everyone you know so that the whole world can participate in stamping out fraud by drug companies. Only when they know that the public knows how to spot pharmaceutical fraud and can get a reward for reporting it will drug companies think twice about ripping off our healthcare programs.
How to report Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud and received a monetary reward: There are two very different ways of reporting Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud, with two very different results.
- File for a Reward
The first way to report pharmaceutical fraud is to have a whistleblower attorney, such as Mr. Hesch, help you blow the whistle under the Department of Justice (DOJ) reward program, which pays whistleblower rewards of between 15% to 25% of the amount DOJ recovers. So far, DOJ has paid nearly $5 billion ($4,943,706,903) in whistleblower rewards for reporting Healthcare Fraud and the average reward is $688,826.
If you report fraud under the DOJ program, the government must open an investigation and inform your attorney of the results. Thus, applying for a reward through a whistleblower attorney is the only way to ensure an investigation takes place (rather than just calling a hotline). Today, over three-fourths (83%) of the government’s Medicare Fraud cases are DOJ whistleblower reward cases. Thus, the government is counting on whistleblowers to bring Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud cases to DOJ and receive a reward in the process.
- Report fraud to the agency
The second way to report Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud is to report it directly to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which runs the Medicare program. You can do this without an attorney and even anonymously. There are a few downsides by reporting the fraud to CMS. First, the reward is limited to $1,000 (rather than the DOJ program that pays up to 25% with no limit or cap). Second, CMS does not have to open an investigation. Third, CMS does not have to tell you the results of any investigation. Nevertheless, there are times when it makes sense to report fraud directly to CMS through its website or by calling its hotline. Here is how to contact CMS directly:
- CMS website: https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud/index.asp.
- CMS hotline: 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).
It’s time to put an end to fraudulent pharmaceutical Medicare claims! For more details or how to ask Mr. Hesch to evaluate in complete confidence your potential Medicare Fraud allegations, simply visit Mr. Hesch’s website. His free e-book also provides step-by-step instructions for reporting all types of Medicare Fraud, including pharmaceutical fraud.
What are the four main types of Pharmaceutical Fraud? Pharmaceutical companies are among the greatest violators committing Medicare and Medicaid Fraud and the DOJ reward program is designed to hold them accountable.
The four primary Pharmaceutical Medicare Fraud schemes consist of:
- Medicaid Rebate Fraud
- Off-Label Promotion
- Kickbacks
- Adulterated Products
These four schemes are detailed in this free e-book. If you know of one of these schemes, you should contact an experienced whistleblower attorney to find out if you may be eligible for a reward and how to properly report it to put an end to the fraud.
What other national days are there for whistleblowing or whistleblower rewards for reporting fraud? There are many other national days relating to reporting fraud against the government.
National Report General Service Administration (GSA) Fraud Day March 6
National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day May 8
National Report IRS Fraud Day April 10
National Report Medicare Fraud Day September 12
National Report Military Fraud Day July 2
National Whistleblower Reward Day February 20
National Day Archives also has a separate category just for Politics/Government. For more days relating to the Politics/Government browse the category button on the top left of the webpage.