As part of a new Medicare program—Recovery Audit Contractors Program (RAC)—independent auditors are visiting provider facilities, including clinical labs and pathology groups, in an effort to recover an estimated $24 billion a year resulting from abuse, fraud, and reimbursement problems. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have designated four independent companies to conduct RAC audits, and they’ll have surprising authority to view source documentation.
Most likely, the majority of labs are not prepared for these auditors to stop by, leaving them quite vulnerable. Although CMS admits that most overpayments are caused by errors and omissions rather than fraud or abuse, it’s critical that clinical labs and pathology groups tune into THE DARK REPORT’S latest audio conference, titled “Prepare Your Lab for a Medicare RAC Audit: Essential Do’s and Don’ts to Reduce Compliance Risk and Avoid Penalties,” on Wednesday, July 20, at 1:00 p.m., to learn how they can prepare for a RAC audit, their rights during an audit, and how they can effectively challenge and appeal audit results.
Source: Dark Report
