Doctors’ Incomplete Documentation Resulted in $2B in Inappropriate Medicare Payments, OIG Report Finds

Between 2011 and 2012, CMS made about $2 billion in inappropriate Medicare payments to home health agencies because physicians routinely failed to properly document the in-person visits required for home-based care referrals, according to a new report from the HHS Office of Inspector General. The report found that physicians did not meet documentation requirements for about 33% of home health claims.

• "Doctors' Bad Paperwork Leads to $2B in Inappropriate Medicare Payments" (Dickson, "Vital Signs," Modern Healthcare, 4/10).