OIG: Medicare Overpayments Due to Coding Discrepancies Totaled $22.5M

Medicare improperly paid practitioners at a higher non-facility rate for services provided to skilled nursing facility (SNF) or hospital inpatients, leading to over $22 million in over-payments, a report from…

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OIG audit targets hospital compliance with surprise billing rule

OIG's decision to perform a nationwide audit examining compliance with the Provider Relief Fund's balance billing restriction comes just weeks after new federal rules designed to shield consumers from unexpected…

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6 Aspects to Understanding ZPIC Audits

I. Introduction Zone Program Integrity Contractors (“ZPICs”) are charged with the responsibility of investigating alleged instances of fraud, waste, or abuse by health care providers.  They are authorized to conduct…

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Early Warning: Top Audit Risks for 2020

Three risks, in particular, are expected to pose a greater liability for providers. As we get ready to say goodbye to another year of audits and investigations, compliance officers around…

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The Devil’s in the Details of Two New Proposed Rules

More than 700 pages of text make up proposed changes to the federal Stark and anti-kickback statutes. On Wednesday, Oct. 9, federal healthcare officials announced two new proposed rules.  While…

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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…

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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…

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OIG: Medicare data could be used to ID abuse, neglect

That’s the contention of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General. An OIG audit discovered 34,664 Medicare claims that contained diagnosis codes indicating the treatment…

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Read more about the article CMS Paid $4M in Excess GME Medicare Reimbursement, OIG Finds
Handing over money.

CMS Paid $4M in Excess GME Medicare Reimbursement, OIG Finds

Audits performed by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) showed that hospitals received excess Graduate Medical Education (GME) Medicare reimbursement after counting residents and interns as more than one…

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OIG: Open Payments Program Needs to Improve Data

The Open Payments database needs to improve the accuracy, precision and consistency of some of its data to ensure doctor financial transparency and help consumers better use the information. That’s…

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Medicaid Wasted $37B On Improper Payments In 2017

Medicaid improper payments, including fraud, have spiked in recent years, reaching $37 billion in 2017, according to a government watchdog agency. And the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)…

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OIG Investigates Payments for Ambulance Transports of SNF Patients

Medicare’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has issued a sixteen-question survey to many ambulance service suppliers. The survey is focused on SNF patients, and specifically why the ambulance service has…

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Healthcare Reform Can Create Confusion Over Compliance for Providers

In 2016, the federal government recovered more than $3.3 billion in healthcare fraud judgments and settlements. On Monday, TeamHealth agreed to pay $60 million to settle allegations that a company…

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