Nursing homes will be subject to escrow for all civil monetary penalties, CMS announces

The federal government reported close to $3.35 billion in expected recoveries of improper payments in fiscal year 2015, according to a new government report.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General   Semiannual Report to Congress, released Monday, reported expected recoveries from nearly $1.13 billion discovered through audits, and $2.22 in investigative receivables. The total recovered payments mark a drop of more than $1.5 billion from the $4.9 billion recovered in FY 2014.

The drop in total expected recoveries may be due to a decreased in the amount of investigative recoveries, Kevin McAnaney, of the Law Offices of Kevin G. McAnaney, told Bloomberg BNA.

“I believe this is probably due to fewer big pharma cases or settlements this past year,” McAnaney said. “I don’t think it is due to a lack of resources since most of the recoveries are driven by whistle-blowers.”

Investigative recoveries have decreased steadily in recent years, dropping from $6 billion in 2012 to this year’s $2.2 billion, the OIG report found.

The report also showed OIG reported 925 criminal actions and 682 civil actions in FY 2015. It excluded 4,112 individuals and entities from taking part in federal healthcare programs. Facilities are encouraged to regularly check the OIG exclusion list.