Company: INGN
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000950170-25-029993
Chunk: 203

Company: Inogen Inc
Filing Date: 2025-02-28
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 203
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 exception or safe harbor. Our practices may not in all cases meet all of the criteria for safe harbor protection from anti-kickback liability. Failure to meet all requirements of a safe harbor is not determinative of a kickback issue but could subject the practice to increased scrutiny by the government.

The Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the “Stark Law,” prohibits a physician from referring a patient to an entity with which the physician (or an immediate family member of the physician) has a financial relationship, for the furnishing of certain designated health services (DHS) for which payment may be made by Medicare or Medicaid, unless an exception applies. 

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The Federal False Claims Act prohibits any person from knowingly presenting or causing to be presented a false claim for payment to the federal government, or knowingly making or causing to be made a false statement to get a false claim paid. The Federal False Claims Act allows any person to bring suit in the name of the government alleging false and fraudulent claims presented to or paid by the government (or other violations of the statute) and to share in any amounts paid by the entity to the government in fines or settlement. Such suits, known as qui tam actions, have increased significantly in the healthcare industry in recent years. Sanctions under this federal law may include civil monetary penalties, exclusion from federal and state healthcare programs, criminal fines and imprisonment. In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, among other things, amends the intent requirement of the federal anti-kickback and criminal healthcare fraud statutes to clarify that a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it. In addition, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides that the government may assert that a claim that items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the false claims statutes. Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the safe harbors and exceptions, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws. Such a challenge, regardless of the outcome, could have a material adverse effect on our business, business relationships, reputation, financial condition and results of operations. The majority of states also have statutes or regulations similar to the federal anti-kickback, physician self-referral, and false claims laws, which apply to items or services, reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs, or in several states, apply regardless of pay