Congress expected to intervene, as before “Without congressional action, physician payments will be slashed 25% with the first cut of 23% beginning Dec. 1,” Cecil Wilson, president of the American Medical Association, said in a prepared statement. CMS issued a final rule on Nov. 3, and announced that payment rates were scheduled to be reduced […]
Audits of Electronic Health Records Cloning Reveal Documentation Problems That Put Compliance at Risk Electronic health records (EHR) are a double-edged sword. They can reduce the time it takes physicians to document patient encounters, allow real-time access to medical records and promote legibility. But CMS and Medicare contractors are wary of classic EHR physician documentation […]
Largest Ever Jury-granted Award for Damages in America A jury returned a $677 million judgment against Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. in a more than four-year-old class action lawsuit alleging that the company violated state mandated nursing coverage requirements in 22 of its nursing facilities over a six-year period, on Tuesday, July 6, 2010. At issue […]
Report encourages CMS to Pursue Widespread Recovery Medicare contractors overpaid physicians an estimated $13.8 million for claims with the incorrect place-of-service code during calendar year 2007, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) says in an audit report (A-01-09-00503) posted Aug. 13, 2010. Medicare reimburses physicians more for certain services they perform in offices, urgent […]
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT SAVING MONEY FOR MEDICARE AND TAXPAYERS New CMS Report Shows Savings of Nearly $8 Billion by 2012 Medicare will see savings of nearly $8 billion by the end of 2012 with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported on August 2, 2010. In […]
SHOWS PAYMENT CHANGES FOR INPATIENT STAYS IN ACUTE CARE, LONG-TERM CARE FOR FY 2011 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule establishing fiscal year (FY) 2011 policies and payment rates for inpatient services furnished to people with Medicare by acute care hospitals, long-term care hospitals (LTCHs), and certain excluded hospitals, […]
Largest Ever Settlement for Patient Privacy Violation Under HIPAA Another Settlement Expected Soon Failure to securely dispose of items containing protected patient information cost two of the nation’s three largest retail pharmacy chains a total of $2.25 Million and $1 Million to settle alleged violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 […]
Fully Endorses Contingency Fees for Auditors Video and Transcript Posted by The White House President Obama signed into law today measures that hold government accountable for responsible use of taxpayer dollars and are intended to cut down on waste, fraud and abuse. The President also remarked that he has directed federal agencies to perform rigorous […]
Whistleblower Says Penalties Could Surpass $1 Billion WellCare Health Plans, a Tampa-based HMO, filed a report of a Preliminary Settlement reached with the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, plus the Civil Divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, and for the State of Connecticut, to settle their […]