Editor’s Note: This is part of a week long series exploring the impact of the OIG 2013 Work Plan on different types of providers and organizations. On October 3, 2012 the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its Work Plan for fiscal year 2013.…
Editor’s Note: This is part of a week long series exploring the impact of the OIG 2013 Work Plan on different types of providers and organizations. Each year, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) releases a Work Plan for the upcoming fiscal year. The…
Editor’s Note: This is part of a week long series exploring the impact of the OIG 2013 Work Plan on different types of providers and organizations. Recently, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) released the OIG’s annual Work Plan. The Work Plan includes the…
Editor’s Note: This is part of a week long series exploring the impact of the OIG 2013 Work Plan on different types of providers and organizations. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced in its recently released 2013 Workplan that it intends to continue…
On September 26, 2012 The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report on Schedule II drugs inappropriately billed to Medicare Part D. The report found that Medicare Part D inappropriately paid for $24.6 million in Schedule II drugs billed as refills, despite federal…
The Obama administration, through a strongly worded letter signed by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, warned healthcare providers of “troubling indications” that hospitals are using electronic health records to game the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement system. The letter was sent…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently agreed to a $1.5 million settlement with the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule. The HIPAA Security Rule protects electronic health information by requiring HIPAA-covered entities…
On September 11, 2012 the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that a Recovery Audit Contractor’s (RAC’s) initial decision to reopen a claim is not subject to judicial review. The case, Palomar Medical Center v. Sebelius, involved Palomar Medical Center arguing that a RAC has to…
On September 4, 2012 the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report in which it found that during calendar years 2009 and 2010 Medicare made overpayments to Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs) totaling an estimated $8.4 million. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services…
On September 12, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a national provider Comparative Billing Report (CBR) targeting podiatry services. The CBRs will be released to a maximum of 5,000 podiatry service providers. This is the second time in which podiatry services have been the focal point…