Of the many unanswered questions about allegations of unneeded stent implants at St. Joseph Medical Center is this one: If the allegations are true, will somebody stand to collect a reward under the federal False Claims Act? The False Claims Act allows citizens to sue federal contractors (in health care it's usually Medicare providers) on behalf of the government and share up to 25 percent of any reward. Christopher Mallavarapu, the cardiologist I wrote about on Sunday, was the official whistleblower in a case of unneeded stents in Louisiana.
St. Joseph has said that it began investigating stent histories after a patient complaint and a federal investigation simultaneously raised questions. Last week I asked whether to the hospital's knowledge there is a would-be False Claims Act plaintiff who tipped off authorities. This is the response of spokeswoman Vivienne Stearns-Elliot:
"St. Joseph Medical Center cannot speculate whether or not there is a whistleblower in this matter. Our concern is not how this investigation began, but rather the steps we have taken and continue to take to address the substantive issues and to move forward."