Last week, the Sixth Circuit closed two paths the government and relators have tried to take to expand liability for medical providers under the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and False Claims Act (FCA): the meaning of “remuneration” under the AKS and the causation standard for AKS-based FCA claims.

Key Takeaways

The AKS, which prohibits referrals in

The Eighth Circuit split with the Third Circuit over the appropriate causation standard in False Claims Act (FCA) cases involving alleged violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), holding that the 2010 amendments to the AKS created a “but-for causal requirement” (United States ex rel. Cairns v. D.S. Medical, LLC).

In 2010, Congress amended