ED Coding & Reimbursement Alert - 2014 Issue 1
Auditing: Check Whether Your Facility Is On the OIG Hit List
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Article Overview
This article summarizes an OIG report on Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), CMS responses to identified vulnerabilities, and the types of payment and billing issues that drew the most attention in the report. It is relevant to compliance, auditing, and coding/billing teams that want to understand the general areas of risk being emphasized, including facility and physician services, appeal outcomes, and place-of-service concerns. The article provides a high-level discussion of oversight findings and why they matter for organizations subject to Medicare review.
Why This Topic Matters
Organizations billing Medicare can use this article to gauge common audit vulnerabilities highlighted by the OIG and to understand why documentation, claim accuracy, and appeal readiness remain important.
Article Sections
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Background
Provides context on the OIG report and summarizes the scope of RAC-identified improper payments and CMS follow-up activity.
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How this impacts you
Explains the compliance significance of the report for providers and facilities and frames the general audit and billing implications.
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Most common sources
Describes the broad provider categories that accounted for most improper payment findings in the report.
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Most common states
Summarizes the geographic distribution of recovered or returned improper payments highlighted by the report.
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You should appeal
Discusses appeal activity and the general outcome pattern for providers that challenged RAC findings.
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Add-on codes and POS remain at issue
Addresses the article’s discussion of remaining payment vulnerabilities tied to Part B claims, add-on billing patterns, and place-of-service concerns.
What You Will Learn
- The scope of Medicare audit findings discussed by the OIG report
- Which broad provider and facility categories were most affected
- Why appeal activity is a recurring issue in RAC-related reviews
- What types of billing and place-of-service concerns are emphasized at a high level
- How the article frames CMS and OIG oversight priorities
Who Should Read This
- Medical coders
- Billing staff
- Compliance officers
- Practice managers
- Revenue cycle professionals
- Healthcare auditors
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