The Office of the Inspector General issued a favorable opinion regarding an affiliation between an Air Force medical group and a community hospital. The arrangement involves an Air Force medical group (medical group) located on a military base and a community hospital located near the base. As a result of…
A sleep medicine and durable medical equipment company, Areté Sleep LLC, Areté Sleep Therapy LLC, and Areté Holdings LLC will pay a $650,000 settlement pursuant to federal authorities discovering the company to have submitted false claims to Medicare over a seven year span. According to federal prosecutors, the false claims were…
ACO Start-Up Costs According to a study conducted by the American Hospital Association, the costs associated with starting an accountable care organization (ACO) range from $5.3 million to $12 million. The study was based on a review of the start up costs of four ACOs currently in existence. Additionally, it…
Over $365 Million in Improper Payments Identified By RACs Since October 2009 CMS recently reported that RACs have identified $312.2 million in overpayments from October 2009 through March 2011. During the same period, $52.6 million in underpayments were identified. While these figures are well below the over $1 billion in…
On May 16, the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services released the report from its audit of physician therapy services provided during home health episodes. The report outlines the OIG’s findings that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made duplicate payments…
Over $30 billion has been set aside by the government to use for incentive payments in an effort to get health care professionals to switch to electronic records. One reason for the push towards electronic records is the ability exchange patient information between systems. As a way to efficiently capture…
The ONC announced last Wednesday that the Medicare electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments will begin disbursement this week. The payments will be made to providers who have met all of the program conditions, including the meaningful use requirements. Eligible participants can expect to receive a payment based on 75%…
The percentage of physicians in the United States using electronic health records (EHR) has increased by nine percent (20% to 29%) over the past twelve months. The push towards electronic records has been firmly supported by the current and previous presidential administrations. The Obama Administration aims to have at least…
On May 4, 2011, the Seventh Circuit Court was faced with the issue of whether a doctor’s actions violated the anti-kickback statute (United States of America v. Borrasi). Dr. Roland Borrasi was convicted of Medicare fraud after he accepted payments in the form of a salary from a psychiatric hospital…
Two hospitals in Anoka County have fired 32 employees for accessing the medical records of patients without permission or a legitimate reason to do so. The employees accessed the medical records of certain patients that were hospitalized due to a massive drug overdose stemming from a party; the overdoses were…