C.R. Bard Pays $48.3 Million settling doctor kickbacks case and whistleblower gets $10.1 million

C.R. Bard has agreed to pay $48.3 million to settle whistleblower allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors and other customers to buy the company’s radiation treatments for prostate cancer. The medical device company allegedly gave customers free medical equipment, guaranteed rebates and educations research grants in exchange for using its brachytherapy seeds, a radiation treatment, according to the federal complaint. The hospitals then submitted false reimbursement claims to Medicare. Former C.R. Bard manager Julie Darity will receive $10.1 million as her share of the settlement under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. She supervised customer contracts and also settled for an additional sum because the company retaliated against her. It is illegal to pay doctors or render items of value to them in return for purchasing medical devices. Jeffrey Newman represents whistleblowers.