A Q&A Conversation with Crane Pomerantz

For nearly a year, Crane Pomerantz put pen to paper to publish the third edition of the American Health Law Association’s Health Care Fraud and Abuse Investigations Handbook.

Over the course of more than 300 pages, Pomerantz provides readers with an explanation of the legal context surrounding healthcare fraud investigations. To further educate readers on the investigative process, Pomerantz provides insights from his career in private practice and as a Criminal Healthcare Fraud Coordinator during his 14-year stint with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.

Pomerantz recently discussed how he got started with the book, what readers can expect to learn, and his current practice in representing healthcare organizations in these investigations.

What got you hooked on writing the book?

I have been a frequent contributor to the American Health Lawyer Association. In my opinion, it’s the preeminent trade organization for health lawyers. In the mid-90s, I started working at a boutique firm in Boston, and my mentors there were former healthcare fraud prosecutors. I stayed in touch with them for the last 30 years, but they were the authors and editors of this book. They are approaching retirement age and asked me to be the next editor and author.

Given the career you’ve had in this area of law, did you feel a sense of purpose to take on the book writing?

It was a labor of love. Being a former federal prosecutor, it’s something that I felt brought me closer to the investigations I used to conduct. It’s something that I had a lot of experience with, and I did feel like I had an obligation to give back. I’ve accumulated this knowledge from being on the inside as a prosecutor, and I wanted to be able to explain how the process works.

What can readers expect to learn from your writing?

It’s designed as a practical guide for dealing with healthcare fraud investigations and the end of each chapter includes examples of letters, complaints, and discovery requests that people can use in their everyday practice.

What are you working on now with clients?

About 80% of my practice is focused on representing healthcare providers and a strong percentage of that is representing providers in these types of federal and state investigations. I also do a lot of complex business litigation involving physician groups and defend healthcare providers in federal False Claims Act litigation.

Health Care Fraud and Abuse Investigations Handbook is available for purchase on the LexisNexis website.