– BestCare Laboratory Services LLC, will pay $5.7 million to settle an outstanding False Claims Act judgment after the company defrauded Medicare to receive travel reimbursements, the United States Department of Justice said in a news release.
In 2018, the DOJ asked BestCare to pay the U.S. $30.5 million, which is separate from the new settlement. A whistleblower filed the lawsuit in 2008 through the qui tam, or whistle-blower provisions of the False Claims Act. The qui tam makes it possible for private parties known as relators to sue U.S. individuals or companies that have submitted false documents to get government funding.
“Health care providers that submit inflated reimbursement claims to Medicare waste funds intended to ensure access to vital medical services,” said Brian M. Boynton, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General with the DOJ. “Today’s settlement demonstrates the Department’s resolve to ensure that those who defraud the taxpayers are held accountable.”