Home Health & Hospice Week
RACs Make Money For Returning Money Too
A new CMS report reveals the results of Recovery Audit Contractors nationwide, and the numbers are surprising. During 2010 (the first year RACs began actively identifying and correcting improper payments under the National Recovery Audit program), RACs collected $75 million from providers that were overpaid by Medicare. On the plus side, RACs do appear to be returning money to providers that were underpaid. During 2010, RACs returned $16.9 million to providers. All told, they found $92.3 million in incorrect Medicare payments during fiscal year 2010 (which spans from Oct. 1, 2009 through Sept. 30, 2010), according to the FY 2010 Report to Congress: Implementation of Recovery Auditing at CMS document. Clarification: Many providers dub RACs "bounty hunters" because they are paid on a contingency fee basis, which means that they get a percentage of the improper payments that they identify. However, the RACs collect a contingency fee on money reimbursed to providers as well, the Report to Congress notes. Therefore, RACs should financially be just as motivated to identify underpayments to you as they are to finding overpayments. Resource: To read more from the Report to Congress, visit www.cms.gov/Recovery-Audit-Program/Downloads/FY2010ReportCongress.pdf.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Fraud & Abuse:
Expect Therapy Pay Changes In Wake Of Senate Report
Senate investigation blasts 3 of the 'big 4' companies for gaming the system. Regarding home [...] - Know Your Facts:
Publicly Traded Companies Changed Therapy Utilization In Response To Reimbursement
One chain saw 10-therapy-visit episodes drop from 20 to 7 percent in one year. Law- [...] - Compliance:
OIG Ramps Up HHA Oversight For 2012
OIG work plan adds 5 new HHA topics to 4 existing ones. Monitoring home health [...] - Industry Note:
NGS To Take Over HHH MAC Contract In Jurisdiction 6
NGS is currently subcontractor in the J6 area. Home health agencies who have NHIC as [...] - Industry Note:
Hospice Cap Selection Deadline Up In The Air
Give your hospice cap methodology selection careful thought, because doing nothing may be your best [...] - Industry Note:
RACs Make Money For Returning Money Too
A new CMS report reveals the results of Recovery Audit Contractors nationwide, and the numbers [...] - Industry Note:
Discharge Hospice Patients When F2F Is Missed
CMS has put some of its face-to-face billing guidance for hospices in a more official [...] - Finance:
Home Care Companies Stand By Their Practices
The home care companies that are the subject of the Senate Finance Committee's report are [...] - Enforcement:
LHC Group Pays $65 Million To Settle Lawsuit
National chain enters into CIA with OIG. It doesn't have to be your own employee [...] - Industry Note:
Beware This Cash Flow Hiccup Under CGS
Don't think a bump in your cash flow from last week will continue into this [...] - Industry Note:
CMS Adds Requirements Before HHAs Are Certified
Newly enrolling providers will have a few more hoops to jump through before obtaining Medicare [...] - Industry Note:
Hospice Quality Reporting Info Available Online
You can take a look at the proposed forms for the voluntary hospice quality reporting [...] - Industry Note:
HIPAA Breach Comes From Government Payor This Time
HIPAA breaches don't always come from providers. Tricare, the massive U.S. military insurer, announced last [...] - Industry Note:
Tip: Educate Docs' Billers To Boost Hospice Referrals
You may boost your hospice referrals if you help your referring physicians learn to navigate [...] - Industry Note:
Nurses Plead Guilty, Receive Sentence In Fraud Schemes
The feds continue to rack up fraud convictions of home care providers in Miami. An [...]
