Earlier this month, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) awarded Comprehensive Health Care Program contracts for Michigan’s Medicaid health plans. Health plans administered under Michigan Medicaid provide access to healthcare services to nearly 2 million Michigan residents. In this recent award of health plan contracts, nine health…
On March 12, 2024, several senators wrote a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General, requesting an investigation into the policies and procedures CMS has in place to prevent Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse. The senators noted that in 2022, GAO estimated there were $47 billion in improper…
As we noted previously, Medicare providers of wound care services continue to be the target of audits by Medicare contractors. Wound care services typically involve the application of allografts, skin substitutes, and related products to promote healing and support recovery. Due to the generally high reimbursement rates and need for…
A recent report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) may signal even more scrutiny of healthcare providers who received funds from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). As we have long predicted, while the PRF was intended as a financial lifeline for the…
In response to the unprecedented challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act established the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) as an effort to financially support the nation’s healthcare providers as they grappled with COVID-19. To achieve this goal, the Health Resources & Services…
Healthcare providers are starting to see the first claims audits based on analysis and determinations made by artificial intelligence (AI). Although the technology is new, many of the issues remain the same. Especially where the companies that develop AI-based audit tools sell these tools and services to commercial insurance companies,…
In the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, overseen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) – typically private insurers – receive monthly payments from CMS. The MAOs then contract with healthcare providers and suppliers to provide services pursuant to multiple MA plans offered by the…
Among the plethora of different contractors used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to administer the Medicare program is the Supplemental Medical Review Contractor, or SMRC. Like the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs), and others, the SMRC – of…
Nearly 4 years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers continue to see payor audits and demands for repayment for services provided during the pandemic, primarily COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. While these services were an essential public function during the pandemic, constantly changing and often unclear rules and…
Both the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and its plethora of contractors rely on the mail to notify providers and suppliers of document requests, audit findings, disciplinary actions, and many other important items. Providers should be careful that their mailing addresses on file with Medicare are current and…