Five largest healthcare fraud settlements of 2020

1 Amount: $6 billion Allegations concern: Telehealth/opioid fraud

More than 340 individuals were charged with submitting false claims to federal healthcare programs and private insurers for telehealth services and substance abuse treatment, among other services. The U.S. Justice Department described the investigation, which involved 51 judicial districts, as the largest healthcare fraud case in history

2 Amount: $2 billion Allegations concern: Misleading opioid marketing

Indivior Solutions agreed to pay $600 million to resolve its misleading marketing of opioidaddiction-treatment drug Suboxone, which followed a $1.4 billion settlement with former parent company Reckitt Benckiser Group.

3 Amount: $681 million Allegations concern: Unnecessary tests

Florida doctors allegedly billed Medicare and private insurers for unnecessary urine drug tests and blood tests, psychiatric testing, prescription drugs and other services.

4 Amount: $642 million Allegations concern: Pharmaceutical kickbacks

Novartis allegedly funneled cash to pay Medicare beneficiaries’ drug copayments through independent foundations. The pharmaceutical company also allegedly paid kickbacks to doctors.

5 Amount: $475 million Allegations concern: Telehealth kickback scheme

A Georgia-based durable medical equipment company allegedly paid kickbacks for prospective patients. The physicians receiving the kickbacks allegedly knowingly signed false medical records describing “consultations” with Medicare patients. It was the 25th defendant charged in a $475 million Georgia telefraud scheme.