While the vast majority of providers billing for telehealth services do so in a way that poses no significant risk to Medicare, a small percentage of telehealth claims are problematic – and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is looking to curb the issue, Healthcare Finance reports.
One possible area of focus: More than half of the providers whose billing practices raised red flags worked in physician practices in which at least one other doctor filed similar claims. According to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, this trend suggests some practices are encouraging such billing among their associated providers.
On top of that, 41 providers who engage in high-risk billing “appear to be associated with telehealth companies,” the report read. “However, there is currently no systematic way to identify these companies in the Medicare data.” Read more.
