National Pharmacy Omnicare Pays 'Unusual' Settlement to Resolve Charges of Generic Drug Switching in Delaware Nursing Homes, Resulting From 'Qui Tam&apo...( Omnicare Inc...),Health

Omnicare, Inc., which calls itself "the nation's leading provider of pharmaceutical care for seniors," paid $283,000 to settle Medicaid fraud charges by the State of Delaware. Delaware alleged that the pharmacy had committed Medicaid fraud by illegally switching the drugs of senior citizens in nursing homes and other facilities. Omnicare's conduct had originally been reported by a Chicago pharmacist whistleblower, who was fired by Omnicare after reporting the switching. Today's settlement resulted from a "qui tam" suit filed under the Delaware False Claims Act by pharmacist whistleblower Bernard Lizitza with Chicago qui tam lawyers Michael Behn and Linda Wyetzner in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Delaware's False Claims Act, like the federal False Claims Act, allows private citizens with knowledge of fraud (called "relators") to help the government recover ill-gotten gains.

Wilmington, DE (PRWEB) May 22, 2009 -- Omnicare, Inc., which calls itself "the nation's leading provider of pharmaceutical care for seniors," paid $283,000 to settle Medicaid fraud charges by the State of Delaware. Delaware alleged that the pharmacy had committed Medicaid fraud by illegally switching the drugs of senior citizens in nursing homes and other facilities. Omnicare's conduct had originally been reported by a Chicago pharmacist whistleblower, who was fired by Omnicare after reporting the switching. The United States and 43 other states had settled similar Medicaid fraud allegations with Omnicare in November of 2006. (ND IL 01 C 7433)