Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

This New York cardiologist spent time under the OIG's microscope, only to learn he was billing properly. Turns out the old saying is true: If you haven't done anything wrong, an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) audit is nothing to worry about. A New York cardiologist who collected over $1.3 million over a three-year period for 5,061 claims caught the OIG's eye due to a "high volume of Medicare claims in comparison to other cardiologists throughout New York state," according to the OIG's report on the topic, which was released on Oct. 14, 2009. The OIG reviewed the cardiologist's records for the three-year period, but found that the physician, who specialized in non-invasive procedures, complied with Medicare reimbursement requirements. Therefore, the OIG made no recommendations and did not request any fund recovery from the physician. (Editor's note: To read the complete OIG report, visit: www.oig.hhs.gov/oas/reports/region2/20901003.pdf.)