OIG Looks to Remove a Safe Harbor for Certain Drug Rebates; Proposes Two New Ones

In a newly proposed rule the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) is proposing to exclude from the discount safe harbor certain types of remuneration offered by drug manufacturers to Part D plan sponsors and Medicaid MCOs that may pose a risk to the Federal health care programs and beneficiaries. The OIG is also proposing to add two new safe harbors. The first would protect certain manufacturer point-of-sale reductions, and the second would protect certain fixed service fees that manufactures pay to pharmacy benefits managers for services rendered to the manufacturer that meet specific criteria.

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Out-of-Network NJ Cardiologist Wins a Case Against Aetna

A recent decision by a New Jersey Appellate Court confirmed an out-of-network provider’s right to collect from an insurance company for emergency services he rendered to patients covered by the insurance company.

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Latest Medicare Changes That Will Impact Your Practice

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued number of recent updates to the Medicare program which impact various providers and suppliers.

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OIG 2016 Workplan: Is It Time To Check Your Compliance?

Every year the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issues a workplan that identifies the agency’s planned audit activities for the upcoming year. The workplan offers valuable information for healthcare entities by providing them with an opportunity to conduct appropriate risk assessments, and, where indicated, to modify the entity’s compliance program.

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CMS Documentation Reminder to Physicians Ordering Lab Services

Recent results from the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) Program revealed that the majority of improper payment for laboratory service result from insufficient documentation. This article summarizes important documentation recommendations from CMS.

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Chiropractic Billings Under Government Scrutiny Again

Consistently over the years the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has targeted chiropractic services for audits. In fact, chiropractic services appear annually on the OIG’s workplan agenda. In September 2015, the OIG issued a report recommending that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) establish better controls and measures to prevent questionable payments, collect overpayments based on inappropriately paid claims and ensure that claims are paid only for Medicare-covered diagnoses.

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OIG Finds OCR and Billing for Ambulance Services Needs Improvement

In a series of recent reports, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) noted a number of deficiencies and made a number of recommendations to improve and strengthen oversight of the HIPAA Privacy Standards and reduce the amount of inappropriate transportation billing.

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New York’s Emergency Services and Surprise Bill Goes Into Effect

A new law impacting New York out-of-network providers, called the Emergency Services and Surprise Bill, went into effect on March 31, 2015, that will require providers to update their operations if they do not already comply with the legal requirements.

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CMS and AMA Address Physicians’ ICD-10 Concerns

In a welcomed move, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and American Medical Association (AMA) announced elimination of certain sanctions and penalties during ICD-10 transition and the availability of additional resources to help physicians get ready for ICD-10.

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6 Medicare Reimbursement Issues on OIG’s Radar in 2015

In 2014, the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) reported “expected recoveries of over $4.9 billion.” The agency also excluded 4,017 individuals and entities and took 971 criminal actions. Similarly, the OIG pursued 533 civil actions against individuals and entities. According to the agency’s 2015 work

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A Look Back at NJ Medicaid Fraud Division Activities in 2014

The mission of the Medicaid Fraud Division (MFD) within the Office of the State Comptroller is to prevent, detect, audit and investigate fraud, waste and abuse by New Jersey providers and recipients. As we look forward to the New Jersey Medicaid Fraud Division 2015 work plan, we look back at the agency’s activities in 2014.

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What Prepayment Review of DMEPOS Claims Reveals

National Government Services Durable Medical Equipment Medicare Medical Review Department (NGS) has recently published the results of its third quarter prepayment medical review of high-error audit claim. In total, NGS reports, more than half of claims were denied, results in a 65 percent of claims error rate for failing to the required coverage criteria and documentation.

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Balance Billing Under NJ Medicaid

Can a provider bill a beneficiary all or part of the difference between the provider’s charged fees and the payment received from NJ Medicaid or managed care plan? The NJ Department of Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance & Health Services (Department) recently answered that question.

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Non-Billing Ordering Providers Must Be Enrolled In Medicaid

New York State Medicaid Program posted new applications on April 1, 2013 for non-billing providers that order, prescribe, and/or refer beneficiaries with fee-for-service Medicaid coverage. New Jersey Medicaid required all such providers to be enrolled an “non-billing” providers by Jan. 1, 2013.

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New York Medicaid Program Prohibits Billing Beneficiaries

When a provider participates in the New York State Medicaid Program, a provider agrees to accept payment as payment in full for the provided services. The same applies to providers who accept Medicaid Managed Care or Family Health Plus (FHPlus) plans.

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7 Most Common Health Care Billing Abuses

At a recent Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team presentation given by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), the agency stressed the importance of documentation and identified the following seven common billing abuses performed by providers.

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