Compliance: OIG to Send CMS Names of 1,700 Docs Who Overbilled High-Level E/M Codes

Why This Topic Matters

The article highlights a federal oversight review of changing E/M billing patterns and why practices may want to examine their documentation and coding trends. It also explains the broader compliance significance of specialty-level comparisons and payer review activity.

Article Sections

1. Reporting trend summary

   An overview of the billing trend changes discussed in the OIG report and the time period studied.

2. Outpatient

   A discussion of outpatient evaluation and management billing trends within the report.

3. Inpatient

   A discussion of hospital visit evaluation and management billing trends within the report.

4. Emergency

   A discussion of emergency department evaluation and management billing trends within the report.

5. These Specialties Did the Most Damage

   A summary of how the report compared billing patterns across physician and nonphysician specialties.

6. High-Level Codes Don't Necessarily Equal Fraud

   A compliance-oriented discussion of possible reasons billing patterns may change and the report's emphasis on review and education.