OIG calls on CMS to improve consistency in reviews

Medicare contractors were inconsistent in how they reviewed overpayments during the appeals process, says the Office of Inspector General in a new report.  Although MACs and QICs generally reviewed appealed…

Comments Off on OIG calls on CMS to improve consistency in reviews

OIG tags California medical group for erroneous billing

Santa Monica, Calif.-based Oceanside Medical Group failed to comply with Medicare requirements when billing for psychotherapy services, according to a report from HHS' Office of Inspector General. The OIG said…

Comments Off on OIG tags California medical group for erroneous billing

Poor Healthcare IT Infrastructure Contributes to IHS Care Problems

Poor healthcare IT infrastructure has contributed to patient care problems at Indian Health Service (IHS) hospitals, concluded a recent report by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). The report…

Comments Off on Poor Healthcare IT Infrastructure Contributes to IHS Care Problems

Medicare Hospital Compliance Reviews are Legal and Sound, According to OIG

The Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) recently defended its practices pertaining to hospital compliance reviews in a published response to a letter from the American Hospital Association (AHA), while simultaneously announcing a voluntary suspension of reviews of inpatient short stay claims after October 1, 2013.

1 Comment

An Out-of-Control Medicare Audit

What happened to Eastern Carolina internal Medicine (ECIM) in Pollocksville, North Carolina is a provider’s nightmare about government oversight run amok. A Medicare audit began as a medical records request.…

Comments Off on An Out-of-Control Medicare Audit

OIG: Room To Improve Medicare Audits

Contractors hired by Medicare to audit the payment records of healthcare providers have a good track record spotting improper billing, the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General concluded…

Comments Off on OIG: Room To Improve Medicare Audits

Fiscal Year 2012 HHS OIG Work Plan

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan for Fiscal Year 2012 provides brief descriptions of activities that OIG plans to initiate or continue with respect to HHS programs and operations in fiscal year 2012.

Comments Off on Fiscal Year 2012 HHS OIG Work Plan

E/M Coding Makes OIG 2011 Work Plan

Make sure your postop office visit documentation measures up.

The OIG has once again set its sights on several new targets to go with the upcoming new year, and this time the feds will be double- and triple-checking your E/M documentation.

On Oct. 1, the OIG published its 2011 Work Plan, which outlines the areas that the Office of Audit Services, Office of Evaluations and Inspections, Office of Investigations, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, Office of Management  and Policy, and Immediate Office of the Inspector General will address during the 2011 fiscal year. When the OIG targets an issue in its Work Plan, you can expect the agency to carefully review and audit sample claims of those services.

The Work Plan “describes the specific audits and evaluations that we have underway or plan to initiate in the year ahead considering our discretionary and statutorily mandated resources,” the document indicates.

On the agenda for next year, the OIG has indicated that its investigators will “review the extent of potentially inappropriate payments for E/M services and the consistency of E/M medical review determinations.” The OIG also plans to hone in on whether payments for E/M services performed during the global periods of other procedures were appropriate.

In addition, the OIG will scrutinize Medicare payments for Part B imaging services, outpatient physical therapy services, sleep testing, diagnostic tests, and claims with modifier GY on them (Item or service statutorily excluded, does not meet the definition of any Medicare benefit or, for non-Medicare insurers, it is not a contract benefit).

The OIG also intends to “review Medicare payments for observation services provided during outpatient visits in hospitals” to assess whether hospitals’ use of observation services affects Medicare beneficiaries’ care.

Keep your compliance plan up to date with tips from Part B Insider,...

Comments Off on E/M Coding Makes OIG 2011 Work Plan

Place-of-Service Codes Caused $13 Million in Overpayments

Double check POS 11 shouldn’t be 22 — or 24. Entering your place-of-service (POS) number on your claim form may seem routine, but a recent OIG audit found that practices are not giving POS numbers the care they deserve. Based on a r...

Comments Off on Place-of-Service Codes Caused $13 Million in Overpayments

Recovery Audit Contractors: Know These RAC Fast Facts

RACs are just another tool in the government’s arsenal to collect improper payments.

You’ve got so many compliance acronyms flying at you every day that you may not be able to differentiate your RAC from the OIG. Know these quick facts about RACs to stay better informed.

  • Recovery audit contractors (RACs) detect and correct past improper payments so CMS and the MACs can prevent such problems in the future
  • RACs are hired as contractors by the government, and they can can collect “contingency fees,” which means that they get a percentage of the amount that they recover from providers who were paid inappropriately The maximum RAC lookback period is three years, and they cannot review claims paid prior to Oct. 1, 2007
  • Between 2005 and 2008, RACs involved in the original demonstration project recovered over $1.03 billion in Medicare improper payments, but referred only two cases of potential fraud to CMS, according to a February OIG report on the topic, which noted that “because RACs do not receive their contingency fees for cases they refer that are determined to be fraud, there may be a disincentive for RACs to refer potential cases of fraud.”
  • Unlike RACs, the OIG is a government entity. Although the OIG also performs reviews and audits and seeks improper payments, the OIG does not collect contingency fees.

For more on the RAC program, visit www.cms.gov/rac.

Part B Insider. Editor: Torrey Kim, CPC

Sign up for the upcoming live Webinar, You Can Use the Appeals Process Like a Pro, or order the CD/transcripts.

Be a hero. Sign up for Supercoder.com, and join the coding community at the Supercoder.com Facebook Fan Page.

Comments Off on Recovery Audit Contractors: Know These RAC Fast Facts