RACs Will Begin Medical Necessity Reviews

The American Hospital Association (AHA) reported on August 10 that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have approved “medical necessity review” audits for the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program.  According to the AHA, the approved audits include 18 types of inpatient hospital claims and one type of durable medical equipment claim.  Although the report did not include the specific new audit issues, providers should expect to see these issues posted on RAC websites and may begin receiving additional documentation requests (ADRs) within the next two weeks.