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VGM Group defends against audits

VGM Group defends against audits

WATERLOO, Iowa, and ATLANTA - In a move designed to enhance its ability to provide more comprehensive audit defense services to its members, The VGM Group recently merged with audit specialists, The van Halem Group.

The organization has been doing some work in audit defense in recent years, but “audits are among the top two or three issues facing HME providers, and we wanted to be the undisputed leader,” says Mike Mallaro, VGM's CFO.

Mallaro said that the new alliance will enable Wayne van Halem, founder and president of the consulting firm, to continue working with current and new clients, while handing over much of the back-office work to the VGM team. Moreover, VGM's greater financial resources will enable van Halem to expand his organization's reach.

As van Halem explained it, merging with VGM will enable his group to “expand on the services that we already offer. We will also look to implement more comprehensive tracking tools to manage and report on our own and our clients' workload.”

Van Halem says the Medicare audit system is “a complex maze that is difficult to navigate” and many providers need help.

“With our knowledge and expertise, we are able to get issues resolved through our relationships with the government and its contractors that suppliers or other entities may not be able to on their own,” he said. “Our deep knowledge of the regulations allows us to identify errors easily and get them corrected.”

As to how van Halem sees the audit situation evolving in the years ahead?

“Unfortunately, I see the new national RAC rolling out in the next few months and think our industry will once again be bombarded with RAC audits,” he said. “We've also seen an increase in the number of managed care audits and Medicaid audits, as well as extrapolated overpayments.”

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