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Home Health & Hospice Week

Industry Notes:

Medicare Wastes Millions On Capped Rental Repairs, OIG Says.

Published on Tue Jul 13, 2010

Getting claims for repair of DME capped rental items to go through could become a lot harder, thanks to a new HHS Office of Inspector General report claiming the Medicare program paid more than $30 million in possible error for such repairs from 2006 to 2008. CMS erroneously allowed $2.2 million for maintenance and $4.4 million for repairs to bene-rented capped DME, the report says. The cost of repairs is included in the monthly rental payments. CMS allowed $27 million in repair payments for bene-owned capped DME in the same time period. The claims didn't meet payment requirements such as medical necessity and delivery documentation. Beneficiaries contacted by the OIG reported a range of problems with suppliers from whom they obtained their capped rental equipment, including suppliers failing to customize power mobility devices correctly and being difficult to reach. The OIG wants CMS to increase edits, enforcement, and safeguards against [...]
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