Laredo, Texas Hospice Fraud Defense Attorneys

Oberheiden, P.C. is a team of talented Laredo, Texas hospice fraud defense attorneys with years of relevant experience and education from colleges such as Harvard and Yale Law Schools. Oberheiden, P.C. is a healthcare law defense firm with experience in the areas of:

• Regulatory compliance,
• Corporate structuring,
• Litigation,
• Government investigations, and
• Criminal defense.

Our attorneys serve clients in Laredo as well as throughout Texas.

If you’re in Laredo, Texas and under investigation for home healthcare or hospice fraud, you should immediately contact Oberheiden, P.C. We are a Texas law firm practicing healthcare fraud defense. We have legal experience in:

• OIG and grand jury subpoenas,
• Medicare and Tricare audits,
• Fraud allegation defense,
• Internal investigations,
• Compliance programs,
• Qui tam defense,
• Protection of assets,
• Criminal defense, and
• Jury trials.

Our Healthcare Fraud Defense Team includes Laredo, Texas hospice fraud defense lawyers with extensive and impressive backgrounds, including a former Chief Healthcare Fraud Coordinator for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, several former healthcare fraud prosecutors, and elite former lead prosecutors of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.

Dr. Nick Oberheiden is a Harvard-trained lawyer and negotiator. He provides legal assistance to clients in and around Garland, Dallas, Mesquite, Richardson, and McKinney, Texas. Dr. Oberheiden is a recognized healthcare fraud defense attorney and is the managing partner of Oberheiden, P.C.

Laredo, Texas Is Watched by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force

Laredo, Texas is monitored by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. In fact, it’s one of nine areas in the nation that is directly overseen. The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is a joint effort of investigators and prosecutors from multiple federal agencies. Their job is to monitor, investigate, and prosecute cases of fraud, including the wrongful use of health and human services.

Put our highly experienced team on your side

Dr. Nick Oberheiden

Founder

Attorney-at-Law

Lynette S. Byrd

Former DOJ Trial Attorney

Partner

Brian J. Kuester

Former U.S. Attorney

Hon. Kevin McCarthy

55th Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives (ret.)

Government Consultant

Mike Pompeo

Of Counsel

Former U.S. Secretary of State

John W. Sellers

Former Senior DOJ Trial Attorney

Linda Julin McNamara

Federal Appeals Attorney

Nicholas B. Johnson

Former Prosecutor

Roger Bach

Former Special Agent (DOJ)

Chris J. Quick

Former Special Agent (FBI & IRS-CI)

Michael S. Koslow

Former Supervisory Special Agent (DOD-OIG)

Ray Yuen

Former Supervisory Special Agent (FBI)

Home Healthcare and Hospice Fraud in Laredo, Texas

Oberheiden, P.C. provides defense counsel to hospice services and facilities, home healthcare businesses, business owners, and healthcare professions in Laredo, Texas and the surrounding area. We have extensive experience handling:

• OIG subpoenas
• Grand jury subpoenas
• Medicare fraud
• Medicaid fraud
• Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute
• False Claims Act Violations
• Qui tam defense
• Stark Law Violations (Self-Referral Law)
• HIPAA compliance
• DEA investigations
• Certifications involving medical necessity
• Inaccuracies in billing
• Overbilling
• Overuse of medical services
• Overuse of medical equipment
• RAC audits
• ZPIC audits
• IRS investigations

Oberheiden, P.C. partners with several related groups including the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), and other related home healthcare and hospice programs. We have expert understanding of:

• Requirements for certification and re-certification,
• Determination of clinical status,
• Respite care requirements,
• Homebound evaluations,
• Medical necessity,
• Conditions of coverage, and
• Requirements for plan of care.

The Penalties of Home Healthcare and Hospice Fraud in Laredo, Texas

Healthcare providers and entities suspected of home healthcare or hospice fraud may face civil or criminal liability and penalties. The following list of potential outcomes demonstrates the necessity of hiring a Laredo, Texas hospice fraud defense attorney. Civil penalties may include:

• Requests for repayment,
• Non-payment of future claims,
• Civil fines up to $11,000 per false claim,
• Future exclusion from federal healthcare programs,
• Assignment of treble damages, and
• Attorney fees.

Criminal punishments may include huge fines, a criminal record, and prison time of:

• Up to 10 years for each count of fraud
• Up to 20 years if the fraud resulted in serious bodily injury,/li>
• Life in prison if the fraud resulted in death.

If you’re found guilty of incorrectly prescribing medications, improper supervision, or of providing false certification, you may see exclusion from all federal healthcare programs. You may be banned from filing claims for payment, and you may have your professional license suspended or revoked.

Features of the Right Laredo, Texas Defense Attorney

It is critical to choose the right Laredo, Texas hospice fraud defense lawyer. This type of allegation can damage your professional reputation and your business. Choosing the right lawyer means having the best possible defense. The right lawyer is your legal advocate with the federal government, the media, and the public.

• They are familiar with the rules and regulations of home healthcare and hospice care. You won’t have to explain billing, coding, or certification rules to them.
• They have a history of successfully resolving healthcare audit and fraud investigations. They have a proven record of negotiating complex healthcare fraud cases with OIG, HHS, IRS, and DOJ.
• They have excellent litigation skills and they have trial experience. Federal prosecutors will know whether or not your lawyer has a good reputation. Ask every candidate how many Medicare fraud cases they’ve handled that resulted in neither civil, nor criminal judgements against their clients.

Established Home Healthcare and Hospice Fraud Defenses

Legal advocacy begins immediately. Oberheiden, P.C. has experience with hundreds of trials and criminal cases in court. A Laredo, Texas hospice fraud defense attorney on our Healthcare Fraud Defense Team has worked as healthcare auditor, fraud investigator, or prosecutor with the DOJ. This unique dual experience has enabled us to develop winning defense strategies for our clients.

Immediate contact with federal investigators. If you’re being investigated for home healthcare or hospice fraud, you shouldn’t wait to contact Oberheiden, P.C. We quickly get in touch with investigators on your behalf to begin the process of representing you. We ask the important questions and can often get answers within just a few hours:

• What started the investigation?
• Does the investigation involve civil or criminal liability?
• Is prison time a possibility?
• What can be done to resolve the investigation?

Proving our clients made a mistake. Most home healthcare or hospice fraud investigations in Laredo, Texas begin because a person or a business made a mistake. The most common mistakes come from:

• Relying on overwhelmed and unqualified staff members,
• Negligence,
• Supervision errors, and
• Being out of date with the constantly changing rules.

The court system acknowledges that making a mistake is possible. That’s why the federal government must meet a high burden of proof to show that you committed a crime. Oberheiden, P.C. works to prove that our clients made a mistake, but did not act with criminal intent.

Showing appropriate use of certifications. Many home healthcare and hospice fraud cases in Laredo and the surrounding area claim that the business owners and healthcare providers incorrectly certified or re-certified medical necessity. A Laredo, Texas hospice fraud defense lawyer from Oberheiden, P.C. knows that this allegation is hard to prove. In addition to relying on industry authorities, we have practical trial experience to explain certification exceptions and delegation rules to a judge or jury. The exceptions are often left out of complaints filed by the federal government.

Safeguarding your reputation. Most of our Laredo clients are concerned about their professional reputation. They are right to be concerned because the media often reports biased information and doesn’t always give the public all the information related to a story. Oberheiden, P.C. works to safeguard your reputation. We address slander on behalf of our clients, and we look for occasions to correct misinformation.

We are available every day of the year for our clients. Call us directly, complete our contact form, or email us.