A division of Ohio-based Cardinal Health has been named in a whistle-blower lawsuit for alleged violations of federal healthcare fraud and abuse laws, according to a company Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
The lawsuit also alleges violations of Medicare regulations and the federal False Claims Act in connection with the marketing and sale of ostomy and continence-care products, according to the financial disclosure filed last week.
The lawsuit names several manufacturers and distributors of such products, but the SEC filing doesn't identify them. Cardinal Health is a pharmaceutical distributor and a medical- and surgical-product manufacturer.
The federal government has not yet decided whether to intervene in the lawsuit, which was brought by a whistle-blower on behalf of the government, according to the filing. Details of whistle-blower lawsuits are often private, or kept under seal, until the government decides whether to join.
Cardinal Health said in the filing that it is providing information to the Justice Department in connection with its investigation. The company did not respond to a request for further comment by deadline.