Fraudulent utilization and billing of urine drug screening has become a priority for federal enforcers since the $256 million Millennium settlement of 2016. Subsequent cases have targeted abuses … [Read more...]
ENFORCEMENT
Case of the Month: Milwaukee Clinic the Latest MD-Owned Lab Busted for Urine Drug Test Abuses
April 18, 2019
REIMBURSEMENT
Kentucky Pain Clinic Pays $127K to Settle Specimen Validity Test Billing Claims
April 12, 2019
Case: The Northern Kentucky Center for Pain Relief agreed to pay the OIG $126,799.90 to settle claims of billing Medicare for specimen validity testing (SVT). Explanation: Under Medicare rules, urine … [Read more...]
DRUG TESTING
Enforcement Trends: CMS Looks to Recover $66.3 Million in Improper Specimen Validity Test Payments
April 1, 2019
The opioid crackdown has made urine drug testing an even greater priority for federal health fraud enforcers. One principle target is specimen validity testing (SVT) billed in combination with urine … [Read more...]
FALSE CLAIMS
Labs In Court: A roundup of recent cases and enforcement actions involving the diagnostics industry
March 27, 2019
56 Months' Jail for Lab Technician Caught in Texas Toxicology Scam Case: A former toxicology testing company account rep pled guilty to conspiring with a medical clinic lab technician to steal … [Read more...]
CMS
PAMAgeddon: GAO Official Acknowledges Flaws in Lab Price Report as a Powerful Senator Enters the Scene
March 27, 2019
In November 2018, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a controversial report suggesting that the new PAMA system will result in billions of dollars worth of Medicare overpayments … [Read more...]
TESTING TRENDS
With Focus on Cost Cutting, Post-Op Labs Not Needed After Knee Replacement
March 26, 2019
Routine postoperative laboratory testing is not necessary for low-risk patients having elective total knee arthroplasty (TKA), according to a study published Jan. 18 in the Journal of Clinical … [Read more...]
COURT CASES
Labs In Court: A roundup of recent cases and enforcement actions involving the diagnostics industry
March 25, 2019
$1.99 Million Settlement for False Billing of Genetic Tests Case: In a case that began as a whistleblower suit filed by two ex-employees, GenomeDx Biosciences has agreed to shell out $1.99 … [Read more...]
REIMBURSEMENT
The Newest PAMA Controversy: The GAO Report & Intervention of a Powerful Senator
March 25, 2019
The recent moves by CMS to include certain hospital outreach labs as "applicable laboratories" for purposes of PAMA reporting and pricing (see National Intelligence Report (NIR), Dec. 31, 2018) has … [Read more...]
OUTPATIENT PAYMENTS
How to Determine Date of Service for Part B Billing of Outpatient Lab Tests
March 15, 2019
Date of service rules affect whether outpatient lab tests are part of the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) bundled payment or can be billed separately under Part B. Last month, … [Read more...]
OIG OPINION
Is Your Billing Company Putting You At Compliance Risk?
March 11, 2019
By Sean McSweeney bio Does your orthopedic billing company charge a percentage of collections for their coding and billing? They might break out separate charges for statements or other … [Read more...]
