Government investigators will issue a report on skilled nursing facilities’ Medicare Part A billing practices later this year, according to the latest annual work plan from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General.
The review of Part A billing is labeled as a “new” project, meaning it did not appear in an earlier work plan. It is one of five projects related to nursing homes in the 2014 plan.
The Part A review will analyze variations in SNF billing patterns, the work plan states. Previous reports have identified issues with Part A billing, such as questionable upticks in the highest codes for therapy, the plan claims. It also notes that erroneous SNF Part A claims in 2009 resulted in $1.5 billion in inappropriate payments.
The OIG also expects to release reports this year on questionable Part B billing practices, the verification process for deficiency correction plans, and potentially preventable hospitalizations of SNF residents, according to the plan.
These projects were included in the previous work plan.
From the March 01, 2014 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
