Medicare RACs at a crossroads
CMS wants to focus on improper payment prevention, but will providers see fewer burdens? With Medicare’s “two midnight rule” set to take effect later this year and audit appeals facing …
HME News: Confusion permeates RAC transition
The first few weeks of CMS’s wind-down of audits by the current group of recovery audit contractors (RACs) have brought confusion to some providers. Provider Ron Evans says, although the …
Congressmen Urge Sebelius to Fix RAC Backlog
In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, 111 congressmen urged HHS to deploy additional resources to resolve the backlog of appeals of overpayments determined by Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), …
CMS Rescinds PWC RAC Audits on Older Claims
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has communicated through its recovery audit contractors in recent days that certain recovery audits that have been generated on power wheelchairs, support …
Hospitals Voice Frustration to Senators About Burdensome RAC Audits
On June 25, 2013, the Senate Committee on Finance heard testimony from hospital representatives and a recovery audit contractor (RAC) representative regarding burdensome audit procedures. RACs were created to identify …
Senate Finance Committe Warns of Audits Hurting DME Providers with Red Tape
In a Senate Finance Committee hearing this past Tuesday, Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) called on Congress and the administration to strengthen a key Medicare program that saves taxpayers millions of …
RACs push back against audit improvement bills
An advocacy group for independent Medicare auditors has sharply criticized two bills that would put new controls on Recovery Audit Contractors. The Medicare Audit Improvement Act of 2013 was introduced …
Legislation to Improve CMS RAC Program Introduced in U.S. Senate
An identical version of the Medicare Audit Improvement Act (MAIA), reported on in the March 25, 2013 issue of Health Headlines when it was introduced in the House, has now …