Smart Pharmacy

How did this guy convince his own wife to violate Stark Law? I hope it was worth it.

 

From indeed....8/22/19
1.0 out of 5.0
Job Work/Life Balance
Compensation/Benefits
Job Security/Advancement
Management
Job Culture
They commit a lot of fraud

PHARMACY TECHNICIAN (Former Employee) – FL – December 4, 2017
Worked there for 2 years and was never given any recognition for my hard work. I asked for a raise multiple times and was told one time that I couldn’t receive one because I started out making more money than other employees and was then told I would get one and never did. PTO is also never calculated correctly and management sucks. It is a fun place to work and they do provide food daily from some of the best restaurants in town and often times get free football tickets and invited to events for free. Those are the only good things of the company. They commit a lot of billing fraud and customer service fraud and violate Hippa. They are also rumored to be under investigation.
Pros
Free food, fun environment
Cons
Lack of steady PTO, commit fraud, management sucks

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1.0 out of 5.0
Job Work/Life Balance
Compensation/Benefits
Job Security/Advancement
Management
Job Culture
fun to work at, questionable procedures.

Part time work for Smart Pharmacy (Former Employee) – Jacksonville, FL – November 15, 2017
Fun place to work. They included lunch and dinner. But, there were many very questionable billing issues, being a compounding pharmacy. It had been a largely control drug pharmacy until they had to reach an agreement with the DEA to restrict C2 Rx's being filled. I felt that there possibly might have been many fraudulent activities being performed at Smart Pharmacy, and felt that, as a pharmacist, I might be vulnerable to issues of compliance with laws regarding Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.
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WOW....if it was not for the free lunch, not much positives to say....I wonder if local restaurants income will fall when/if Smart gets shut down?
I love the part "....They commit a lot of billing fraud and customer service fraud and violate Hippa. They are also rumored to be under investigation." Priceless....

 

Smart pharmacy is not in any real trouble. You’re allowed to intentionally rip off the government for tens of millions of dollars. You just hire a good attorney to protect what you stole and the government will let you pay a small fine and you get to keep it.

It’s called white collar crime and it’s happens all the time.

 

This is so true.

Smart Pharmacy successfully stole an estimated $100 million dollars from government payers. Knowingly and intentionally defrauding Tricare, Medicare and private payers.

Even though this is in fact a CRIMINAL offense, they won’t get in any trouble. In fact, I’d be surprised if they settle with the government for more than $20 million. White collar crime is alive and well here in Jacksonville, FL.

Watch and learn boys, watch and learn!

 

Friday, September 27, 2019
52 order Case management and scheduling orderFri 4:59 PM
CASE MANAGEMENT AND SCHEDULING ORDER: Mediator selection due by 2/14/2020; Discovery due by 12/15/2020; Dispositive motions due by 2/1/2021; Conduct mediation hearing by 2/16/2021; Pretrial statement due by 5/19/2021; Final Pretrial Conference set for 5/26/2021 at 10:00 AM in Jacksonville Courtroom 12 C before Judge Brian J. Davis; Jury Trial set for trial term commencing on 6/7/2021 at 9:00 AM in Jacksonville Courtroom 12 C before Judge Brian J. Davis. Signed by Judge Brian J. Davis on 9/27/2019.(AMP)

 

Looks like his brother is facing criminal charges as well...

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/eleven-indicted-conspiracy-commit-healthcare-fraud-related-kickbacks-involving

 

Eleven Indicted For Conspiracy To Commit Healthcare Fraud Related To Kickbacks Involving Compounded Medication Prescriptions And Tricare Beneficiaries
Jacksonville, FL – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging Scott Balotin (49, Saint Johns), Greg Carter (62, Fleming Island), Thomas Jones (50, Jacksonville), John Clark Walton (49, Jacksonville), David Stevens (40, Callahan), Sam Todd (40, Jacksonville Beach), Derwin Allen (50, Jacksonville), and Pablo Ortiz (51, Middleburg) with conspiracy. Various defendants are also charged with multiple counts of receiving and paying kickbacks and/or money laundering. The maximum penalty for the conspiracy count and each count of money laundering is 10 years in federal prison. The maximum penalty for each count of receiving and paying kickbacks is 5 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offense, as well as items and properties purchased with proceeds traceable to the offense, including a 2015 Cadillac Escalade, a 2015 Ford Thor Motor Coach, and two residences.

In a related case, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Qualla Miller (42, Orange Park), Earl Smalls (57, Jacksonville), and Mario Correa Jackson (35, Jacksonville) each with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and separate counts of soliciting and receiving kickbacks. In addition, Smalls and Jackson were each charged with paying kickbacks, and Miller and Smalls were each charged with money laundering. The maximum penalty for the conspiracy count and each count of receiving and paying kickbacks is 5 years in federal prison. The maximum penalty for each count of money laundering is 10 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies the individuals that the United States intends to forfeit the proceeds traceable to the offense.

According to the indictments, Balotin owned and operated Casepark, a marketing firm in Jacksonville that utilized sales representatives to market compounded medications, including creams for pain and scars, to health care benefit program beneficiaries. The creams had very high reimbursement rates, ranging from approximately $4,000 to $17,000 for a one-month supply. Casepark focused its promotional efforts on TRICARE beneficiaries, based upon an understanding and belief that TRICARE would pay claims for these compounded medications. The indictment alleges that a large number of the prescriptions generated for the recruited TRICARE beneficiaries were directed to Park and King Pharmacy, owned and operated by Greg Carter. Casepark received approximately 55 percent of the after-cost amount of each claim paid by a health care benefit program to Park and King Pharmacy for each prescription filled. Casepark, and Park and King, paid the sales representatives a percentage of the paid claims they received from the pharmacies.

To induce beneficiaries to provide their TRICARE information and obtain prescriptions for compounded creams from various doctors, patient recruiters (Jones, Walton, Stevens, Todd, Allen, Ortiz, Miller, Smalls, and Jackson) agreed to make, made, and caused to be made illegal kickbacks in the form of cash payments to the beneficiaries. Those prescriptions were filled at Park and King and other pharmacies and resulted in commission payments being made to Casepark and its sales representatives, including the defendants.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the United States Marshals Service. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Hackenberry.

 

So we have the husband and wife, Greg Balotin and Samantha Balotin committing health care fraud. And now Greg’s brother Scott Balotin is also charged with healthcare fraud. Wow!

 

What a fucked up family!

Guess things are going to be a little awkward sitting around the table this Thanksgiving?

 

From what I understand, both brothers hate each other. A pissing contest between the two has been going on for years. People like this family will never get it. They only see one path...the path to easy riches and greed. The only way for justice, is that if they both go to jail for 5-10 years and if the government takes back EVERYTHING...Everything....cars, houses, land, cash...Everything. Now we all know they have good lawyers and will fight tooth and nail to hold on. Criminal charges have to be filled for both and for the other Smart Pharmacy owner. Licenses have to be taken away and never returned.

Again all wishful thinking, as I know in the current American we live in Justice is NOT blind and the ones with money have the power.

 

Just heard that Smart Pharmacy is shutting doors on December 31st..

 

Closing....I don't know if it is true...but that is STEP 1. Handcuffs is STEP 2.

 

Smart Pharmacy is going out of business. Had all employees sign something that said they witnessed no wrong doing. Lol! Laid everybody off with one week of severance. Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!

 

Closing. No prescriptions processed after dec 31.

 

Are both pharmacies closing...the Auto Accident (let use up your $10,000 PIP with one or two fills of my pain cream, so that you cant get any really treatment or PT from any other healthcare provider) and the ugly Vegas sign building on Beach Blvd?

 

Their attorney made us all sign that in order to get the one week severance. Talk about scum bags

 

I am no lawyer, but just because you signed something, the DOJ will be happy to hear what you have to say about Smart Pharmacy and what you have seen. The whistleblower may be able to get protection with the Government if a crime has been commented and you are a witness to said crime.

Business often dangle pay to get employees to sign documents before they leave. Most Employees will sign bc they need the money and are in shock that they are loosing their jobs. This does not mean that you cannot say things if a crime has been witness. Again I am no lawyer...but the case can be made that it was signed under duress and stress.

Call Department Of Justice - Jacksonville
Main Line: 904-301-6300
Fax Line: 904-301-6310

Tell them what you know...Do the right thing.

 

You can ask here. Ask a Whistleblower Attorney

They will tell you what you can or can't do.

 

Smart Pharmacy closing is just a legal strategy used to bookend damages from current and future lawsuits. They will re-emerge as a new entity. They almost did this years ago when they were having trouble with the DEA. They have attorneys who know how to manipulate the system

 

No employer can force you to not report a crime no matter what they make you sign! Report to DoJ- if you pay taxes-this affects YOU- they have stolen from everyone - the worst of all our elderly, disabled and military members!