Practice Management Alert

This year's statistics are in, and they serve as a powerful reminder for billing office managers to always do a Medicare-exclusion background check of all staff your office hires. For the fourth government fiscal year in a row, more than 3,000 individuals and organizations were excluded from federal healthcare programs, according to the HHS Office of Inspector General's latest semiannual report. The OIG also boasts 576 convictions for fraud and other misconduct, up from 517 last year, and 243 new civil suits under the False Claims Act and other laws, up from 236 in 2002.

The monetary haul from fraud investigations in 2003 was $988 million - down significantly from the $1.49 billion secured in 2002. On the other hand, the OIG says the total amount it saved the government - through fraud probes, audits, and cost-saving recommendations - reached a record $23 billion in 2003. Protect Your Practice
 
Make no mistake, the OIG is still willing to be tough about its exclusionary authority when it comes to practices and individuals who play fast and loose with Medicare rules. You can protect your practice not only by making sure your current employees (physicians and staff) are educated on compliance but also by screening candidates for hire. Tip: Visit the OIG's Web site at http://oig.hhs.gov/ and click on "Exclusions Database." This will allow you to search the names of those you're considering for hire. The database is updated weekly to ensure you've got the most current information.