In what it describes as a “First-of-its-Kind Healthcare Generative AI Investigation”, the Texas Attorney General (AGO) recently reached a settlement agreement with an artificial intelligence (AI) healthcare technology...more
Is Medicare Advantage really a Disadvantage for seniors and taxpayers? Our nation is graying rapidly. Every day, 10,000 baby boomers, members of one of the largest generations in U.S. history, hit the traditional...more
Report on Medicare Compliance Volume 32, no 25 (July 2023) Hospices in four states will face heightened oversight. “CMS is placing newly enrolling hospices located in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas in a provisional...more
Physicians and practice managers: Keep an eye on medical billing or health services contractors acting on your behalf. Your practice is liable for any violations of state and federal healthcare fraud laws, including Stark...more
Since 2016, Epstein Becker Green (EBG) has researched, compiled, and analyzed state-specific content relating to the regulatory requirements for professional mental/behavioral health practitioners and stakeholders seeking to...more
In 2020, we published an eAlert titled “Telehealth in a Changing World - Trending Risks and How to Minimize Potential Exposure.” As we predicted would happen, the government has become acutely focused on telehealth fraud....more
Report on Medicare Compliance 31, no. 35 (September 26, 2022) - For the third time in about 2 1/2 years, hospitals or other providers that are part of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, a large health system in New Hampshire,...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 31 no. 18 (May 16, 2022) - In a new report, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) said 25% of Medicare beneficiaries experienced patient harm (adverse events and temporary harm events)...more
On April 20, 2022, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a nationwide coordinated law enforcement action focused on COVID-19-related healthcare fraud. In total, DOJ brought criminal charges against 21 individuals,...more
Over the past year, the federal government has taken concrete steps to fulfill its promise of a heightened commitment to investigating and enforcing health care fraud within the Medicare Advantage program (Medicare Part C). ...more
Cardiovascular stress testing to diagnose patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and other related types of conditions can be a highly-effective tool in many cases. In fact, many cardiologists routinely recommend stress...more
On May 26, 2021, DOJ announced a series of coordinated law enforcement actions against 14 defendants across seven federal districts for alleged participation in fraudulent health care schemes that, according to the...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 22 (June 14, 2021) - A Colorado radiation therapy provider has agreed to pay $3.569 million in a civil monetary penalty settlement with the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). ...more
Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPICs) and Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs) are federal contractors who work under the direction of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to uncover fraudulent...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 30, no. 14 (April 12, 2021) - Doctors Care P.A., the largest urgent care provider network in South Carolina, and its management company, UCI Medical Affiliates of South Carolina Inc., will...more
Medicare pays billions of dollars in fraudulently billed claims each year. To recoup as many fraudulent reimbursements as possible, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) relies on various enforcement...more
Report on Medicare Compliance 29, no. 25 (July 13, 2020) - Ophthalmic Consultants PA in Sarasota, Florida, agreed to pay $4.8 million to settle false claims allegations that it billed Medicare and other federal payers...more
On November 5, 2019, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled on a motion to dismiss a False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam suit filed by the United States Department of Justice, long after it...more
The Justice Department, in coordination with HHS-OIG and the FBI recently announced the arrest and prosecution of 35 individuals for a massive genetic testing fraud scheme involving dozens of telemedicine companies and cancer...more
The recent federal court opinion issued in United States ex rel. Integra Med Analytics, LLC v. Baylor Scott & White Health, et al, illustrates the continued importance of examining the plausibility of allegations made in qui...more
The 60-Day Overpayment Refund Rule (60-Day Rule) was enacted as Section 6402 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on March 23, 2010. ...more
Over recent years, the Federal government has trained its sights on potential billing abuses in the Medicare Part A program for Skilled Nursing Facilities (“SNFs”) in the provision of rehabilitation therapy services. The...more