Commercial Insurance Fraud

AHA: Create Stark Law Exception for Value-Based Reimbursement

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The American Hospital Association (AHA) recently urged CMS to modify the Stark Law by adding value-based reimbursement exceptions that enable providers to coordinate care and advance patient outcomes....

NY Health System Settles E&M Upcoding, Healthcare Fraud Case

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A New York-based health system will pay the federal government $14.7 million to settle healthcare fraud allegations that claim the system engaged in evaluation and management (E&M)...

Over 600 Individuals Charged in 2018 Healthcare Fraud Takedown

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Department of Justice (DoJ) recently announced the largest healthcare fraud takedown to date, with over 600 defendants charged with participating in...

CMS Boosting Audits to Combat Medicaid Fraud, Improper Payments

by Jacqueline LaPointe

In efforts to prevent Medicaid fraud and improper payments, CMS plans to increase the number of audits in the public healthcare program and optimize state-provided claims and provider data, according...

Banner Health Pays $18M to Resolve Medicare Fraud Accusations

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Banner Health, one of the largest non-profit hospital systems in the country, recently agreed to pay $18 million to the federal government to resolve Medicare fraud allegations involving 12 of its...

HHS, DoJ Recovered $2.6B from Healthcare Fraud Schemes in 2017

by Jacqueline LaPointe

For every dollar the federal government spent on combatting healthcare fraud and abuse in the last three years, the government recovered $4, HHS recently reported. While federal healthcare fraud...

Healthcare Fraud Allegations Spur $3.2M Settlement for Providers

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A group of five provider organizations specializing in orthopedic surgeries or anesthesiology recently paid $3.2 million to the federal government to resolve healthcare fraud allegations involving...

DoJ Memo Limiting Guidance Use to Impact Healthcare Fraud Cases

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A recent Department of Justice (DoJ) memo limiting the use of regulatory guidance to pursue affirmative civil enforcement cases could alter the federal government’s approach to healthcare fraud...

Ex Lab Exec, Marketing Partners Liable For $51M in Medicare Fraud

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A federal jury in South Carolina recently found the former CEO of Health Diagnostic Laboratory and the owners of the healthcare organization’s marketing partner liable in a Medicare fraud case...

CMS Extends Home Health Enrollment Suspension to Combat Fraud

by Jacqueline LaPointe

In an effort to reduce Medicare fraud, CMS announced in a new rule that it will extend a moratorium on enrollment of new Medicare home health agencies in Florida, Illinois, Michigan, and Texas. The...

VA Leverages CMS Data Analytics to Reduce Healthcare Fraud, Waste

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The country’s two largest public-private healthcare payment systems, the VA and CMS, recently announced that they will partner to reduce healthcare fraud, waste, and abuse for veterans using data...

Physician Groups Pay $33M To Settle Healthcare Fraud Claims

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Two physician groups will pay over $33 million to settle healthcare fraud allegations that the groups received illegal kickback payments for patient referrals to hospitals owned by former Health...

GAO Offers Steps to Enhance Medicaid, Medicare Fraud Strategy

by Jacqueline LaPointe

CMS demonstrates a commitment to preventing and combating Medicaid and Medicare fraud, but the federal agency’s anti-fraud efforts only partially align with the Government Accountability...

Home Health Owners Face Charges for Medicare Fraud, Upcoding

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The federal government filed a lawsuit against the two owners of Gateway Health Systems in Chicago for their involvement in a Medicare fraud scheme that cost the federal healthcare program millions,...

OK Physician Pays $580K to Settle Medicare Fraud Allegations

by Jacqueline LaPointe

A physician from Oklahoma recently agreed to pay $580,000 to settle a Medicare fraud case in which the federal government alleged that he submitted false claims to the federal healthcare program, the...

New Medicare Fraud Audits to Ease Burden on Compliant Providers

by Jacqueline LaPointe

CMS recently updated its Medicare fraud and improper payment audit process to target providers and suppliers who continually demonstrate high medical billing error rates, according to the federal...

How Providers Can Detect, Prevent Healthcare Fraud and Abuse

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Healthcare fraud and abuse cases cost the industry billions of dollars a year. Without processes in place to detect and prevent fraudulent activities, healthcare providers could face an investigation that may cost them their reputation and...

LA Hospital Pays $42M to Settle Healthcare Fraud, Kickback Case

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Los Angeles-based Pacific Alliance Medical Center recently agreed to pay $42 million in order to settle an ongoing healthcare fraud case involving improper financial relationships between the acute...

Third MI Provider Convicted in $17.1M Healthcare Fraud Case

by Jacqueline LaPointe

Healthcare fraud prevention and prosecution will continue to be a major area of focus for the Department of Justice (DoJ), Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco recently told the American...

OIG Releases Healthcare Fraud Compliance Program Guidelines

by Jacqueline LaPointe

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently published guidelines on how healthcare organizations can measure the effectiveness of their healthcare fraud compliance programs. The resource guide...