Stark Pharmacy will pay $9.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act, which makes it a crime to make a false record or file a false claim about any federal healthcare program.
The lawsuit, U.S. ex rel. Barnes v. Stark Pharmacy, et al., accuses the Overland Park, Kansas-based pharmacy of improperly waiving or reducing patient copays, changing prescriptions without physician authorization, charging plans for a prescription that was different from what the patient received, and auto-filling prescriptions without patient consent.
The suit was brought by whistleblower Emily Barnes, a former pharmacist at Stark represented by the Graves Garrett law firm She will receive $1.5 million as part of the settlement.