Law Enforcement Referrals by UPICs

Florida medical attorneys

UPIC investigatorBy: Matt Fischer

CMS contractors such as Unified Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs) are tasked with ensuring that Medicare pays the right amount for covered services by legitimate providers.  Specifically, a UPIC’s main goal is to identify cases of suspected fraud, waste and abuse, and additionally, to take immediate administrative action to protect federal program funds.  Within its administrative action toolkit, apart from the common pre- or post-payment reviews and payment suspensions, UPICs have the ability to refer cases of potential fraud to law enforcement agencies.Continue reading

Marketing for DME & Pharmacy Providers: Know Your Subcontractor!

Florida estate tax planning

marketing for dmeBy: Michael Silverman

Regulatory compliance is a mandatory investment for any healthcare business owner looking to stay out of serious and personal legal peril, let alone one hoping to keep their company viable.

Yet there is seemingly an onslaught of providers that blatantly run afoul of many of these regulations, knowingly or not, or those that believe they may have found a loophole.

Concerning the latter, there is an important mantra that such DME and pharmacy providers should remember and live by: “[W]hat a provider cannot do directly, it cannot do indirectly through an intermediary.”

Marketing for DME – What exactly am I talking about?

DME providers enrolled with CMS (should) know they cannot solicit or ‘cold call’ Medicare Part B beneficiaries, per the Federal Anti-Solicitation Statute, and that they cannot offer anything of value to a potential patient that could induce them to utilize them as a provider, in accordance with the Beneficiary Inducement Statute.Continue reading

DME Compliance Alert for Telehealth Doctors

By: Karina Gonzalez

Many DME suppliers purchase leads from marketing companies. The patients who respond to the marketing advertisements are generally not interested in travelling to their doctor’s office to obtain an order for braces, for example. This type of arrangement is seen often enough and so starts a potentially problematic arrangement with the DME company paying the marketing company.  The marketing company may then use some of these dollars to pay a telehealth company.  The telehealth company may then pay a telehealth physician for “telemedicine visit” with the patient. Ultimately, the telehealth/telemedicine physician issues and order for the braces or other supplies.The DME brace supplier then gets paid by Medicare Part C, or other healthcare plan for providing the supply to the patient.

The problem with this arrangement is that the sole source of the telehealth doctor’s reimbursement for the visit comes indirectly from the DME company.   Essentially, the DME supplier is paying the ordering physician through the marketing company for the visit with the patient.  This creates a prohibited kickback arrangement because the supplier is essentially paying the Teledoctor for the referral for braces. The telehealth company is acting as a virtual unregulated physician practice.  Providers engaged in this type of practice are not in compliance with either Federal or Florida law.

Chiropractic Practice Expansion: The DMEPOS Licensure Process

florida physician self-referral statute

DMEPOS LicenseBy: Michael Silverman

Adding Durable Medical Equipment Prosthetics & Orthotics Supplies (“DMEPOS”) to a Chiropractic Practice is a great way to not only increase revenues, but most importantly it is a great way to increase overall patient satisfaction and care.

Providing patients with easy access to DMEPOS allows for more comprehensive care, enabling providers to help further stabilize injuries, maximize patient recoveries, and minimize patient down time. Many existing patients are already buying and utilizing DMEPOS such as back braces, so there is an opportunity to provide that additional supervision and care through an existing practice.

Examples of DMEPOS that would complement a Chiropractic Practice and which patients are likely already using:Continue reading

DME Compliance Alert: Back Braces Under Specific Review by Medicare

medicare appeal

DME telehealth

By: Susan St. John

DME Compliance Alert: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, updated its work plan in January 2018 to include heightened scrutiny of off-the-shelf orthotic devices, specifically back braces for HCPCS Cods L0648, L0650 and L1833 due to one MAC identifying improper payment rates as high as 79 to 91 percent. Of specific concern is the lack of documentation of medical necessity, including Medicare beneficiaries being prescribed back braces without an encounter with the referring physician within 12 months prior to an orthotic claim being filed. The OIG plans to analyze billing trends nationwide, and expects to issue a report sometime in 2019.Continue reading