Carolinas Hospital in Florence, South Carolina, received $431,757 in Medicare overpayments for incorrectly billed inpatient and outpatient services, according to an Office of Inspector General (OIG) audit report released November 26. Based on the sample, the OIG estimates the hospital may have received at least $3.4 million in overpayments.
Q: I'm told, although I'm not convinced, that our payment for Keytruda is denied by Anthem when we use ICD-10-CM code Z51.11 (encounter for antineoplastic chemotherapy) first followed by the code for cancer, i.e., C34.12 (malignant neoplasm of upper lobe, left bronchus or lung). I reviewed the coding guidelines again and that is our instruction. Does anyone have experience with this issue?
In the 2020 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule, CMS put a stamp of approval on its previous proposals to overhaul how medical practices will report office and outpatient E/M services in 2021.
When voluntary disclosure for overpayments is an option rather than an obligation, the provider may encounter diverse opinions among its decision-makers. Some may express a desire to bring the potential problem to the attention of the government and attempt to resolve the matter quickly without incurring criminal penalties, civil fines, or exclusions.
