The Federal Bar Association Qui Tam division hosted a two-day event in late February, addressing a variety of subjects pertaining to actions brought under the federal False Claims Act. This meeting preceded the COVID19 funding programs which will undoubtedly garner a lot of DOJ’s focus. That said, Jody Hunt, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice said that in 2020, the DOJ will focus on the following areas: Nursing Homes, the Elder Justice Initiative (focusing on elder abuse, financial fraud, scams, neglect and abandonment), Medicare Advantage programs and Electronic Health Records fraud. For more details, read the National Law Review article addressing the presentation. The article’s author recommends companies put systems in place allowing for the detection of fraud, and also a safe place for employees to report fraud so it can be corrected. The more businesses do this, the better for our Country as a whole.
