Thompson v. Columbia/HCA Healthcare
Corporation
$1.7 Billion
Civil & Criminal Settlements and Claims
James
M. Thompson, M.D. from Corpus Christi, Texas was the first
doctor in the nation to blow the whistle on the healthcare
giant, Columbia/HCA. His suffering and diligence have finally
been rewarded.
In March 1995, Perry & Haas of Corpus Christi,
Texas filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dr. Thompson against
Columbia/HCA alleging kickbacks and Medicare fraud.
His disclosure of the chain's financial inducements
involving physicians led some of his colleagues to
ostracize him. When other doctors would not share on-call
duties for his patients, he ended up practicing alone
without a day off for three years. This stress and
overwork led to Dr. Thompson suffering a stroke in
1998, which left him unable to continue his medical
practice.
United States of America Ex. Rel. James M. Thompson
vs. Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corporation, et. al., filed
in U.S. District Court in Corpus Christi was the first
public disclosure of Columbia/HCA's wrongdoings. This
disclosure led the government to undertake an extensive
investigation that eventually encompassed virtually
all of Columbia/HCA's business practices and led to
a comprehensive settlement of Dr. Thompson's and others
allegations of Medicare fraud and the recovery of recovery
of $1.7 billion by Medicare pursuant to the False Claims
Act. The False Claims Act provides that whistleblowers,
like Dr. Thompson, receive a portion of the monies
recovered due to their efforts.
Dr. Thompson blew the whistle on Columbia/HCA and
attorneys David Perry, René Haas, and Patricia
A. Shackelford of Perry & Haas took on the
largest healthcare provider in the nation. As a result
of work like this, the healthcare chain has been brought
to account - approximately $1.7 billion in civil and
criminal settlements and claims recovered by the government.
STRENGTH. INTEGRITY.
EXPERTISE.
Perry & Haas does not offer any guarantee of
case results.
Past success in litigation does not guarantee success in any new or future
lawsuit.
Our web site describes some of the cases that the attorneys of Perry & Haas have worked on in the past.
Our description of those cases is summary in nature.
You should be aware that the results obtained in each of the cases we have
worked on was dependent on the particular facts of each case. The results of
other cases will differ based on the different facts involved. 
