Media Mentions
2011
“Rural Hospitals Sue for $86M in Medicare Reimbursements”
Blog of Legal Times, September 16, 2011
Ankur Goel explained that a group of rural hospitals he represents is suing the Department of Health and Human Services for lost reimbursements from a Medicare calculation adjustment that “is going to fall on these primarily rural hospitals and the change in policy is going to negatively affect them financially.” He added, “The lawsuit is just intended to pay the reimbursement in accordance with the statute.”
“Lawsuit Filed Over Small-Hospital Reimbursement”
Modern Healthcare, September 15, 2011
Ankur Goel, representing a group of mainly rural hospitals suing the federal government to recoup Medicare payments reduced under a new process and to change the reimbursement formula, expressed doubt that the government “has the authority to adjust the rates in the way that they did under the Medicare statute,” adding that Medicare had “reached the same conclusion several times over the past few years, and we agree with their prior determinations on that.”
“DC Bar Announces 2011 Candidates”
Blog of Legal Times, March 15, 2011
“DC Bar Names Candidates for Elections”
Washington Business Journal, March 16, 2011
Ankur Goel was noted as an incumbent board member running for re-election to the District of Columbia Bar Board of Governors. Mr. Goel focuses on litigation and enforcement matters as a partner in the Firm’s Washington office.
2010
Ankur Goel was quoted on June 21 in Modern Healthcare regarding the new health reform law’s expansion of penalties for health care providers that fail to return Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement overpayments to the government within 60 days after they are discovered. Unanswered questions about when the restitution period starts if an overpayment is discovered mean, said Mr. Goel, “The challenge is, how does a provider act in a responsible, straightforward way in meeting its legal obligation but in a context where not everything is always clear.”
Ankur J. Goel, Health, Health - Insurance
T. Reed Stephens and Ankur Goel were featured in a June 9 BNA Health Law Reporter story on an expected increase in Stark Law fraud and abuse litigation by the Department of Justice against health care providers. Mr. Stephens warned that technical violations, as opposed to outright fraud, would still trigger litigation, and advised providers to proactively review physician agreements and self-disclosure options. Mr. Goel agreed that “prospective corrective action is the first thing you need to do if you discover a violation. It’s important to take action through the lens of how it will be included in a disclosure.” Mr. Goel added that such actions could include terminating affected physician relationships, making refunds related to prohibited referrals, or providing a disclosure report to one of several federal enforcement agencies.
Ankur J. Goel, T. Reed Stephens, Health
Ankur Goel was quoted on April 12 by Report on Medicare Compliance concerning the health reform law’s new Stark Law self-disclosure rules on reimbursement overpayments. He noted that the law now makes kickbacks with regard to illegal remuneration an explicit violation of the False Claims Act, and creates “a clear statutory requirement to repay overpayments. There is no ambiguity.” Because of these and other changes in the law, Mr. Goel said that “hospitals will want to step their game on the compliance side because the government’s tools are that much more powerful.”
Ankur J. Goel, Corporate Responsibility and Governance, Health
Ankur Goel spoke to BNA’s Health Care Daily Report (March 31) about the health care reform law’s expansion of the False Claims Act (FCA) and other enforcement mechanisms. “Anytime the government’s role in the health care system increases, so does its enforcement arsenal and compliance expectations,” he said, adding that all the compliance changes in the law “are consistent with that.” Mr. Goel specifically cited the law’s clarification that providers and suppliers must notify the government of an overpayment involving Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. “Congress has clearly foreclosed any debate or ambiguity about whether there is an obligation by expressly stating that the obligation creates a link to the FCA,” he stated.
Ankur J. Goel, Corporate Responsibility and Governance, Health
2009
Joshua Buchman and Ankur Goel were both quoted in a June 19 Law360 story on recent changes to the False Claims Act. Mr. Buchman noted that companies no longer must deal directly with the U.S. government to have False Claims Act liability. “The bottom line is, just because you're one or two or even three levels removed from the entity doing business with the U.S. government, you're not safe,” he said. Mr. Goel thus urged companies to review their compliance programs to demonstrate “the kind of diligence the law contemplates … to show that they are aware of what they're supposed to be doing and have made a reasonable effort to put a system in place,” he said.
Joshua T. Buchman, Ankur J. Goel, Corporate Responsibility and Governance, Health, Trial
Ankur Goel was quoted in the February 2 issue of Modern Healthcare in an article regarding Attorneys General authorities and their abilities to garner change and achievement. "If there's any connection, it's one of timing and the broad array of authorities attorneys general possess. In general, the intense political focus and concern about healthcare, as well as the increasing role of healthcare in the economy, are likely to be reflected in the level of government activity," Mr. Goel said.
Ankur J. Goel, Health, Health Care Litigation
2008
Ankur Goel was mentioned in the June 26 issue of Legal Bisnow in an article regarding his recent election to the D.C. Bar Board of Governors.
Ankur J. Goel was mentioned in the April 21 issue of Modern Healthcare regarding the OIG's new self-disclosure protocol. "It's a signal that OIG is going to work to make these more acceptable to providers, or a better experience for providers," said Mr. Goel.
Ankur J. Goel was quoted in the February 29 issue of The Boston Globe in an article regarding the group of Massachusetts hospitals that will collect up to $200 million from the federal government over improperly calculated Medicare reimbursement rates. "The hospitals are gratified by the court's ruling that all wage data should be used when HHS calculates the wage index," Mr. Goel said. This case was also reported by BNA's Health Care Daily and The Daily News of Newburyport.
2007
Ankur Goel was quoted in the December 10, 2007 article in Report on Medicare Compliance in an article regarding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services mandating compliance training for contracted providers of Medicare Advantage and Part D Plans. "This is a very clear trend. CMS is instructing Medicare Advantage organizations to insert themselves into compliance activities of providers at some levels," Mr. Goel said.
Ankur Goel was quoted in the February 26 issue of Report on Medicare Compliance in an article regarding quality, payment, compliance and enforcement issues. Goel specifically discussed the increasing intensity of Medicare documentation reviews. "Auditors are really digging in deeper and deeper. They are really delving into documentation requirements and questioning medical necessity," Mr. Goel said.
Ankur J. Goel, Health, Managed Care
2006
Ankur J. Goel was quoted in the December 25 issue of Report on Medicare Compliance on the Deficit Reduction Act's False Claims Act requirements, stating that "whether entities need to be in complete 100% compliance on Jan. 1 is debatable because the states haven’t instituted the requirements yet and this guidance just came out," Mr. Goel said. "If entities are in substantial compliance or have taken steps in good faith, they should be in good shape," he added.
Ankur J. Goel, Health, Reimbursement/Fraud & Abuse
Ankur Goel was quoted in the March 13 issue of BNA's Health Care Daily Report in the article "Rebate Disclosures for Drug Plans Seen as Burden, Possible Legal Risk." According to Mr. Goel, CMS' recent call letter stipulates that Part D sponsors have an obligation to find out about drug maker rebates and discounts paid to pharmacy benefit managers and long-term care pharmacies, report them to CMS, and reduce their charges to the federal government accordingly. "This would be a fairly significant policy if they finalize it that way," Mr. Goel said. "Right now, Part D sponsors don’t always know the amounts of these rebates," and not all of the rebates are passed along to the sponsors, he added.
2005
Ankur Goel was quoted in the June 28 issue of the Washington Post in regard to Schaffer v. Weast, a dispute between parents of a student with disabilities and the Montgomery County, Maryland school district, to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall.
Ankur J. Goel, Pro Bono & Community Service
Ankur Goel was quoted in the June 28 issue of Education Week regarding Schaffer v. Weast, a dispute between parents of a student with disabilities and the Montgomery County, Maryland school district, to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall. Mr. Goel commented that he believes the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) places a strong obligation on school districts to search out students in need of special education services and schools have the resources to defend their educational programs.
Ankur J. Goel, Pro Bono & Community Service
2004
Ankur Goel was quoted in the July 15 issue of BNA's Health Law Reporter in an article regarding the effects of Blakely v. Washington on the health care industry and corporate compliance guidelines. According to Mr. Goel, regardless of how Blakely affects sentencing guidelines, health care providers "still have a lot of incentives" to design and implement an effective compliance program. "At this point the underpinnings of compliance and compliance program guidance come from several places," Mr. Goel said.
