title: When you hear that whistle blowing. How trustees can reduce the threat of "qui tam" lawsuits.
abstract: The number of qui tam--whistle-blower--lawsuits against hospitals has increased 1,500 percent in the last decade--in large part because of the high priority the government attaches to Medicare fraud and abuse. Even suits that never make it to court are financially draining and a blow to an organization's reputation. Here are some tips for protecting your hospital.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Stern
mesh_terms: D017007:Duty to Warn / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005607:Fraud / Q000517:prevention & control; D006075:Governing Board; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D007344:Insurance Claim Reporting / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D016344:Medicare Part A / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012308:Risk Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000379:methods*; D013781:Texas; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D014481:United States