Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

OIG finds $873K in overpayments.

State Medicaid programs are paying for more than 24 hours of personal care services -- and that's bad news.

In four of the five states studied, the programs in 2005 paid for more than 24 hours of care on 871 claims totaling $873,132, according to a recent OIG report. The states were Minnesota, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington.

Problem: Confusion arises when Medicaid programs allow personal services billing over a range of days, including days the beneficiary didn't receive services, the OIG contends.  n
Note: To read the report, go to www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-07-06-00621.pdf.