DOJ Announces $256 Million False Claims Act Settlement with Millennium Health
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Millennium Health (Millennium) agreed to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act (FCA), Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) for $256 million. Millennium, one of the largest urine drug testing laboratories in the country, allegedly billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs for medically unnecessary urine drug and genetic testing. Further, Millennium also purportedly provided free items to physicians who agreed to refer laboratory testing business.
The United States alleged that Millennium promoted the equivalent of standing orders to physicians, causing physicians to order urine tests excessively and without individualized assessments of each patient’s needs. The United States also alleged that Millennium violated the Stark Law and AKS by providing urine drug test cups to physicians with the express condition that they return specimens to Millennium for additional testing.
The settlement stems from lawsuits filed by whistleblowers under the qui tam provisions of the FCA. Under the settlement, the whistleblowers will receive over $30.1 million. Millennium has agreed to enter into a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
The DOJ Justice News article is available at:
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