New report on Medicare fraud
By Mike Moran
Updated Mon November 16, 2009
A new report shows that, in 2008, Medicare paid more than $17 billion in improper payments for its fee-for-service program, according to an article download Mildred Pierce How to Have an Accident in the Home divx published by The Associated Press over the weekend. When you combine fee-for-service and managed care, that figure rises to $47 billion. That is three times the number of improper payments than the previous year, the AP reported.
Not surprisingly, two of the examples the AP cites as improper payments are related to HME: blood glucose strips for sexual impotence and diabetic shoes for amputees.
The AP says the Obama administration is expected to announce new initiatives this week to help crack down on Medicare fraud, including "a government-wide Web site aimed at providing a fuller account of healthcare spending and improper payments made by various agencies."
Additionally, CMS will launch "a Web interactive next month that will allow users to track Medicare payment information by categories, such as state, diagnosis and hospital."
Stay tuned...
Liz Beaulieu
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