Banner Health Compliance Training

Applicable Legal Requirements - Federal False Claims Act

There are various penalties for violating the Federal False Claims Act, including: • Significant civil monetary penalties for each false claim submitted • Payment of up to three times the amount of damages sustained by the U.S. government • Exclusion from participating in Federal health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid Qui Tam or Whistleblower: The Federal False Claims Act includes “ qui tam ” or “ whistleblower ” provisions which encourage individuals to report misconduct involving false claims. Qui tam provisions allow any person – known as a “ relator ” – with actual knowledge of false claims activity to file a lawsuit in federal court on behalf of the federal government. A relator cannot be suspended, threatened, or otherwise retaliated against for filing a qui tam lawsuit. If the government decides to join the relator’s lawsuit, the prosecution is directed by the Department of Justice.  If the lawsuit is successful, the relator may: ● Receive an award ranging from 15 to 30 percent of the amount recovered by the government ● Be entitled to reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees and costs for filing the lawsuit