Industry Notes

Why This Topic Matters

It helps practices and coding staff understand current federal attention on documentation quality, billing scrutiny, and recovery efforts that can influence audit risk and claim payment outcomes.

Article Sections

1. OIG Continues to Target Physicians

   Discusses government fraud-enforcement findings involving medical practices, clinics, and durable medical equipment suppliers. It places those findings in the context of broader provider oversight activity.

2. CMS Stresses ‘Importance of Legible Medical Records’

   Summarizes CMS guidance emphasizing the need for readable clinical documentation and the role of supporting records in Medicare review. It points readers to a CMS learning network article on the topic.

3. Feds Recovered $6.9 Billion In FY 2012

   Reviews an OIG semiannual report describing federal recovery totals, savings, and oversight findings. It also notes a reported coding trend related to evaluation and management services and contractor review activity.