Home Health & Hospice Week
Home Care Fraud Ring Faces Jail Time.
• Seven Miami-area individuals including a physician have pleaded guilty to Medicare home care fraud charges. Back in December, Dr. Fred Dweck and 14 other people with home care connections were arrested and indicted on fraud charges. (To see the indictment, go to http://www.stopmedicarefraud.gov/heatsuccess/dweck_indictment.pdf.) On Aug. 31, Dweck admitted to referring 858 Medicare recipients for unnecessary home health care services, according to the South Florida Business Journal. As a result, Miami-area home health care agencies billed the Medicare program for more than $37 million in bogus claims. Clinic owner Yudel Cayro, who employed Dweck, admitted in court that some 344 Medicare recipients were referred through his clinic for unnecessary services, reports the Associated Press. Cayro admitted to receiving kickbacks and bribes from recruiters and from owners and operators of Miami-area HHAs, the Journal says. Nurses Teresita Leal, Armando Sanchez, Lissbet Diaz, Marlenys Fernandez, and Silvio Ruiz worked at various times for ABC Home Health Care and/or Florida Home Health Care Providers, two Miami-area HHAs. They admitted to falsifying patient files for Medicare beneficiaries to make it appear that they qualified for home health care and therapy services, the Journal notes. The owners of those agencies pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XVIII, No. 24, p. 189). Dweck and the other defendants await sentencing in December, when they could face up to 10 years in prison each.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Prospective Payment System:
Submit Your PPS Rule Comments Before It's Too Late
Don't let major payment and regulatory changes happen without your input. Home health agencies and [...] - Regulations:
Avoid This Mistake Nearly 7,000 Agencies Are Making
CAHPS, OASIS manuals, PECOS, ABNs also addressed in forum. Registering only one user to submit [...] - Therapy:
Focus On Outpatient Therapy In The Home To Reap Big Rewards
Act now on this growing trend -- before your competition does. If you aren't providing [...] - Marketing:
Here's How To Market Your At-Home Therapy Services
Adjust your marketing mindset for a new patient population. Marketing for your outpatient Part B [...] - Hospice:
Review These New Hospice Claim Requirements
Watch for this year's new claims edits to keep hospice reimbursement flowing. This year has [...] - Industry Notes:
Edit Shoots Down Nearly All Hypertension Claims
COPD claims also see high denial rate. If you're submitting claims for long-stay patients with [...] - Industry Notes:
Home Care Fraud Ring Faces Jail Time.
• Seven Miami-area individuals including a physician have pleaded guilty to Medicare home care fraud [...] - Industry Notes:
CMS Plans Bidding Educational Calls For Later This Year.
• CMS is staying mum on the topic of DME competitive bidding, but that won't [...] - Industry Notes:
Watch Out: ZPICs Target Home Care Providers
• Keep your eye on ZPICs, as their audits may be more liable to close [...] - Industry Notes:
CMS: Stay Tuned For Pharmacy Accreditation Info
• You can get more information about Medicare pharmacy accreditation in a Sept. 28 Special [...] - Industry Notes:
Steer Clear Of This Common Hospice NOE Mistake
• Avoid this common mistake with hospice Notice of Election (NOE) statements, or risk your [...] - Industry Notes:
Regional Chain Buys KY Hospital-Based HHA
• LHC Group Inc. has acquired the assets of Haggin Home Health from The James [...] - Industry Notes:
National Chain Expands Med Cert Presence In FL
• Accessible Home Health Care has achieved Medicare and Medicaid certification of its South Miami [...] - Industry Notes:
Get Your Dates Straight Under New Timely Filing Rules
• Don't forget you have only until Dec. 31 to submit claims with dates of [...]
