Helpful Tips to Speed Up the Medicare Prepayment Review Process

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law For Medicare providers, being notified of an impending audit is not welcome news. Being notified of a prepayment review is even worse. In a prepayment review, the health care provider must submit documentation to the Centers for Medicare […]

CMS Recovery Audit Prepayment Reviews to Begin Summer 2012

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is planning to start the Recovery Audit Prepayment Review (RAPR) Demonstration Project on June 1, 2012. It was originally scheduled to begin January 1, 2012. Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) to Review […]

Man Charged with Medicare Fraud in Ambulance Scheme

By Miles Indest A Pennsylvania man has been charged in a 23-count indictment in relation to an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare by billing for fraudulent ambulance services. The charges were announced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on June 29, 2012. Man Allegedly “Straw” Owner Used to Start Ambulance Company. According to the indictment the […]

Be Prepared for a Medicaid Audit Request

By Lance O. Leider, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Health Law Florida healthcare providers servicing Medicaid patients are at a higher risk for audits than anywhere else in the country.  The reason is that Florida has become synonymous with healthcare fraud.  As a result, auditing and subsequent overpayment demands are some […]

New Hampshire City Auditing Ambulance Service for Allegedly Overbilling

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On July 16, 2012, a New Hampshire city allegedly launched an audit into its primary ambulance service, American Medical Response (AMR), after the company acknowledged overbilling hundreds of patients since 2011, according to a Union Leader article. AMR […]

August 27, 2012, Marks the Start Date of the CMS Recovery Audit Prepayment Review (RAPR)

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On July 31, 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on its website that hospitals should brace themselves for prepayment audits beginning August 27, 2012. The CMS originally announced the Recovery Audit Prepayment Review (RAPR) […]

South Florida Man Admits to a $42 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law The owner and operator of a Miami home health care agency pleaded guilty for his part in a $42 million home health Medicare fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), the FBI and the Department of […]

How to Speed Up the Medicare Prepayment Review Process

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law For Medicare providers, being notified of an impending audit is not welcome news. Being notified of a prepayment review is even worse. In a prepayment review, the health care provider must submit documentation to the Centers for Medicare […]

Tips for Responding to a Medicaid Audit

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law Should you find yourself, your facility or your health practice the subject of a Medicaid audit by your state Medicaid agency or audit contractor, there are a few things you should know. The most important thing is that […]

The RACs, They’re Back! The Return of Medicare Recovery Audits

By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law All good things must come to an end. This includes the two-month hiatus from Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs) that healthcare professionals enjoyed. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is restarting audits of Medicare fee-for-service claims on […]