Posts Tagged ‘HHS’ Office of the Inspector General’
Investigators Looking into $2B Catheter Fraud Involving Medicare Patients
Seven companies allegedly operating out of Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New York and Texas are the target of a $2 billion Medicare fraud investigation – one of the largest in the program’s history. According to published reports, in this catheter fraud scheme, the companies were billing for urinary catheters. The National Association of ACOs (NAACOS), a…
Read MoreOIG Advisory Opinion Okays Treatment-based Patient Incentives
A digital health company that uses smartphone and smart debit card technology to operate an incentive program for patients with substance use disorders was given a favorable advisory opinion by the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) to provide patient incentives in the form of a debit card…
Read MoreOIG Expects to Recover Nearly $4B from Audits, Investigations in 2021
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General’s fight against healthcare fraud, waste and abuse is paying off. The watchdog agency, in its Semiannual Report to Congress, noted that during the six-month period ended Sept. 30, 2021, it expects to make nearly $4 billion in recoveries as a result of…
Read MoreOIG Opinion: Providing Sample Ostomy Products Does not Violate Anti-Kickback Statute
An ostomy product distributor can give free samples to Medicare patients without worrying about violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, according to a recent advisory opinion from the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Anti-Kickback Statute makes it a criminal offense to knowingly and willfully offer, pay, solicit…
Read MoreOIG WorkPlan Update for December Includes Six New Initiatives
The HHS Office of the Inspector General continues to update its Work Plan each month and ended the year in December with six new initiatives, two of which focus on the opioid epidemic and how to better monitor and prevent drug abuse. Status Update on States’ Efforts on Medicaid-Provider Enrollment OIG will determine just how…
Read MoreNew vs. Established Patient Billing: Are You Doing It Properly?
It’s no secret that the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS OIG) has been scrutinizing how Medicare pays providers for new and established patients. Such scrutiny has resulted in providers having to pay back millions for incorrectly billing for a new patient visit when the visit should have been…
Read MoreOIG’s Far-reaching 2017 Work Plan Designed to Root Out Fraud and Abuse
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently released its work plan for 2017 and its target list is ambitious. Each year, the agency releases a plan that summarizes new and existing reviews and areas where it will focus its attention for the coming year. It also shows…
Read MoreOIG report finds claims filed on behalf of the dead
With Halloween just around the corner the HHS’ Office of the Inspector General just released a report showing that during a two-year period The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) paid out nearly half a million dollars for claims made on dead people. Federal law requires CMS to establish policies and implement claim edits to…
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