Orthopedic Coding Alert

OIG identified massive overpayments for services rendered after patients' dates of death.Your orthopedic practice should always be sure to record the correct date of service on your Medicare claims. Why? The OIG is tracking dates of service by investigating the date the patient passed away. In many cases, some practices are still charging for services long after their patients died, and it's costing the Medicare system millions.On Sept. 23, the OIG released the results of its audit, "Review of Medicare Parts A and B Services Billed With Dates of Service After Beneficiaries' Deaths," which revealed that CMS paid approximately $8.2 million in benefits for claims with dates of service after the beneficiaries' deaths.The OIG noted that Medicare will only pay for expenses "reasonable and necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of illness or injury or to improve the functioning of a malformed body member...because medically necessary items or services cannot [...]