OIG Report on Improper ENT Billing
The Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) recently released a report presenting the results of an extensive medical record review conducted in 2006 regarding payments made to nursing facilities for Medicare Part B enteral nutrition therapy (“ENT”) claims for non-Part A patients. The study found that 21 percent of the claims were inappropriate or inadequately documented, resulting in an estimated $39 million in Part B payments that the government should not have paid. Although in the 2010 Work Plan OIG already declared its intent to focus on review of nursing homes’ Part B ENT billing, this report may result in increased scrutiny of providers’ claims and documentation.
