A trade group representing the orthotics and prosthetics industry is accusing the CMS of failing to enforce anti-fraud and abuse laws against unlicensed providers at a time when legitimate providers are coming under fire from increasingly aggressive Medicare recovery auditors.
The American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association—which represents more than 2,000 businesses that manufacture, distribute and supply patients with orthopedic braces and artificial limbs—released the results of a study this week that says the number of Medicare patients receiving the medical equipment from noncertified personnel has not changed significantly even though the rules were tightened in 2000 and 2005.
Read more »
The Obama administration is conducting targeted audits of hospitals to find possible upcoding of medical services related to use of electronic health records.
Don White, a spokesman for the HHS Office of the Inspector General, said the OIG is conducting audits of “specific institutions” on EHR-related overbilling.
Read more »
