The beginning of the New Year is a popular time for new initiatives. Many healthcare organizations are looking for ways to improve quality and reduce risk. A compliance program is an effective way to detect, deter and prevent wrongdoing in the healthcare setting and an ongoing system assures conformity with governing laws and regulations. An
Having a compliance program in place is a start but having an effective compliance program is the goal. Proactively assessing the effectiveness of one’s own compliance program is better than the Department of Justice making a determination of the adequacy as a result of an investigation for alleged misconduct. To set benchmarks for an effective
On September 9, 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates released a policy memorandum, titled “Individual Accountability for Corporate Wrongdoing,” also known as the “Yates Memo.” To read the full contents of the Yates Memo, click here. Essentially, the Yates Memo shifts the DOJ’s approach to fighting corporate fraud and misconduct
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is responsible for protecting the integrity of the programs in Health and Human Services against fraud, waste and abuse as well as recommending improvements to the system that would promote efficiency and efficacy within the limits of the health care laws. Although OIG oversight includes programs such as
Health care fraud recoveries for fiscal years 2009- 2014 exceeded previous records with five straight years of more than $2 billion in annual recovery from cases involving fraud and false claims against federal health care programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Most healthcare providers are aware of significant civil liability due to recent enforcement. However,
After reviewing the HIPAA Privacy case investigations from 2009-2011, the Office of the Inspector General sent a strong message to the Office of Civil Rights in regard to the administration and enforcement of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. The OIG recommendation is clear in the September 2015 executive summary, “OCR Should Strengthen Its Oversight of Covered
Care Plan Oversight describes the physician or other healthcare professional’s supervision of patients in hospice, nursing facilities or those receiving care through home health agencies. CPO reimbursement covers initial certification, any re-certifications and care plan supervision. However, only physicians can bill for initial certification and re-certification and only one physician can bill per month. The
The whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act have lead to several newsworthy cases in recent years. Just a few days ago, the Justice Department announced that KMART Corporation (Kmart) will pay $1.4 Million to resolve False Claims Act allegations for knowingly providing coupons to Medicare beneficiaries to waive or reduce co-pays for purchasing more
The treatment of family members falls under General Exclusions from Coverage under Medicare. No payment will be made for items or services for a family member when the charge is from an immediately related provider, any of their associates or their professional corporations. As part of Stark I in 1989, self-referrals for clinical laboratory services
The Exclusions Statute is one of five major federal fraud and abuse laws. Exclusion is an administrative remedy that is in the form of a penalty imposed on a provider. You may have never heard of it or have only recently become aware of it, but Congress first mandated exclusion of practitioners convicted of program
