Part B Insider (Multispecialty) Coding Alert

• Industry insiders take exception to the Office of the Inspector General's August report that claimed Medicare and its beneficiaries paid up to four times more than the average amount paid by suppliers for wheelchairs.

The report used "flawed methodology and incomplete data" to draw conclusions, claimed Eric Sokol, director of the Power Mobility Coalition (PMC), a nationwide association of manufacturers and suppliers of motorized wheelchairs and power operated vehicles.

These "inaccuracies" could affect more than just suppliers' reputations.  "If readers incorrectly draw conclusions that low acquisition costs equates to high profit margins, then the PMC questions the completeness of the study and its usefulness to policymakers," Sokol pointed out.

Mistakes: The OIG didn't calculate costs of the services provided, as well as overhead expenses such as salaries, fuel, transportation, rents, beneficiary assistance in billing Medicare, and other defining factors. Also, "increased Medicare standards and documentation confusion" like the accreditation and surety process has "raised the cost to providers of partnering with the Medicare program," Sokol said.